Pure Yet Tainted
by MadFace
Summary: The world always seemed to hide surprises, especially out in the Wasteland. The harsh environment masked its weapons in the sand, but the mask was soon taken off, unleashing horrors never before seen. There was one unmasked figure that belonged to the sand that decided to stand by the famous heroes, even if it resulted in her death. -Discontinued-
1. Chapter 1: The Sand's Surprise

_**Well, here's the first chapter to my first posted story! I hope you and enjoy. ^_^**_

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_~Never back down from what fate has whispered to you, even if it means stumbling over thorns and mud as it attempts to slow you down. The path you take can come to two separate roads, yet after straying you'll be lead back to the correct path. Never give up hope. Hope is something that will swim in your heart for eternity~_

Ko had never been one for peace; war and battles usually discovering her just as she had defeated a threat. It was ironic. Her name meant peace, yet she had never experienced such a thing after leaving her family…

Said girl looked up from the dirty ground, her eyes slightly widening at the sight of the once corrupted city transforming into what she hoped would be one of peace. Mentally sighing, she told herself that peace would never be an option for this world. When it seemed like the world's inhabitants would be able sleep with few worries, a whole new predicament was thrown in their face like cold water to a sleeping child on a break from school. Her lips tugged up at the thought of that, remembering when the event had occurred to her younger brother, Makoto. He had always been a good sibling, along with his twin sister Mai.

Shaking her head, Ko scanned the area, marveling at the replenished sight. When she had strolled down this city two years ago, her hand had always been twitching, eyes darting back and forth from paranoia. Many people had jumped her for any money, yet she had been one for fighting back, usually knocking her attacker unconscious and booking it. Now, however, the people she laid her eyes on were weary and weak from what she believed was a difficult battle, whether it was considered to be as challenging as the ones the Underground had sent her on.

Speaking of the Underground, her heart beat with worry for their beings. In the two years that she'd assisted the rebellious group she'd befriended a few of the fellow members. Sure, a few had only considered the youngest of the group to be an annoying, weak brat when they spoke, yet she was sure that the transformation she'd gone through before abandoning the city to seek out her troubles had proved their words wrong. When word had reached her about her family being dead, she'd undergone a personal and mental change, one that had thrown her to the wolves that would chew her down to who she was today.

Ko stopped in her tracks, head lifting at the sight of a grinning, orange head on top of a pitchfork, a headless orange body next to it. She knew that Krew would never put such a strange thing on top of his bar…had he been taken down? Her nose twisted upwards and her eyebrows furrowed just at the memory of the revolting man. She'd only stumbled upon him a couple of times, yet the encounters had taught her to stay away from the bar unless she was ordered to walk in there for a mission. Curious from the statue, she strolled forwards, pushing open the doors. The entire décor still appeared the same, besides the fact that some of the trophies on the wall had been removed, and various areas were replenished.

As she did a 360 of the area, she spotted no one present. Slightly frowning, she walked towards the counter and plopped down on one of the seats, peering over the table. "Hello?" she called out, surveying the area yet again.

Abruptly, an orange rodent jumped up on the table, wearing a green shirt and shorts. Its blonde hair and appearance screamed out familiarity to her, yet she couldn't place her finger on it… "Ko!" the rodent beamed, a grin appearing. The rodent jumped up and wrapped their arms around her neck, a confused look automatically overtaking said girl's face.

_The heck?_ She thought to herself, picking up the rodent and placing it down. "Uh…Who are you?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight of the rodent seemed disappointed.

The rodent gave her a look, and quickly looked down at herself, a look of surprise taking over the disappointed appearance. "Oh!" she realized, looking back up at Ko. She grinned sheepishly. "It's me, Tess!" she told Ko, causing the other girl's eyes to widen.

"Tess!" she grinned, picking up the rodent. As she lifted the girl in the air, her eyebrows arched and she puckered her lips. "Uh…what the heck happened to you?" she asked, causing the girl to smile. Tess pointed at the table, and Ko placed her back down, surely waiting for an explanation.

"Well, I was turned into an Ottsel!" Tess informed Ko, who gave her a blank look. She mentally rolled her eyes. She never was a bright one, she thought, smiling at memories of the girl being rather slow. But this time, she wasn't slow. She was just plain uninformed, like most people nowadays.

"A what?" Ko said, voice deeply puzzled. Tess almost smiled at the look on her longtime friend's face, yet held it back, knowing that the girl took it as an insult when she was confused.

"An Ottsel! It's a type of ancient animal!" She knew that she couldn't tell her about the Precursors. She never wanted to know the outcome out of that situation.

Ko blinked rapidly, then sighed, holding her head in her hand. Tess giggled at the sight of her friend. "Where have I been these last couple of years?" she muttered to herself. She looked up with a tired look, yet a fire lit almost immediately when she spotted all the drinks aligned in shelves. Tess sweatdropped when she realized what the girl wanted. "Sooo…Tess…you know, I've had a few difficult years, and I'm rather parched," Ko drawled, giving a lopsided grin.

Tess sighed, and turned around, pointing at a tall, clear bottle. "There you are."

Ko's face lit up like a kid's on Christmas day, and she shot out of her seat. She lifted herself up, and slid over the counter, snatching the bottle out of the shelf. Tess rolled her eyes at her friend's behavior. She hadn't changed. Ko bit the cog out of the bottle, spitting it out. Almost immediately, she took a swig, face puckering from the taste. Tess giggled. Ko squinted at her. "It's good," she mumbled. Sighing, the girl walked back around the counter and plopped down on the seat. "Okay, so, what's happened since I left?" she asked. "I mean, look at the city! This place is either a wreck or is looking better than two years ago."

Tess gave small smile at that, and sat down in front of her friend. "Well..."

_~:~_

Ko stared at Tess, eyes unreadable. She had cast aside her drink after hearing about the Metalhead problem, and Tess was surprised to see that her friend was still sober, and awake. The girl had never been one for long stories, that being proven back when she was younger. "So," Ko started, voice bored, "another Ottsel named Daxter, and his best friend named Jak, somehow managed to save this city?" she asked, looking deeply uncertain. Tess nodded. "Just two people?" She nodded again. Ko sighed, grabbing her drink. She took another swig, shaking her head. "Haven City is always full of surprises," she muttered. Tess grinned, standing up from her sitting position. Ko gave her a crooked smile, the one that screamed mischievous, and said, "So, when do I get to meet these heroes?"

"Right now, toots!" A rather high voice shouted, causing Ko to spin around. Another orange Ottsel bounded up on the table wearing a pair of jean pants and goggles on the top of his head. A cocky grin was plastered on its face. "Whoa! How come I've never seen you before?!"

Ko rolled her eyes, sitting up a bit straighter. A small smile appeared. "I just came back in from the Wastelands," she told him, seeing his eyes widen a bit at that. She knew that it was a shock for many to see a person, nonetheless a girl, to survive the Wastelands. Many knew of the dangers that lurked in the sand, and many were horrified at the thought of being banished there, yet Ko was not afraid. She had grown up out there, and driving around out there had given her heart a rest from some homesickness.

"The Wastelands?!" the Ottsel exclaimed. "How'd a girl like you survive out there?!" She shot the Ottsel a look, as if daring him to say that she was weak. "I-I mean, barely anyone survives out there! And we never saw you at Spargus," it told her.

Ko nodded at that, deciding to not inform him of her past. That was best left forgotten… "You could say I'm a part of the Wasteland," she murmured, causing the other two to send her a curious look. Uncomfortable with the silence, she gave a grin and patted the Ottsel's head, causing him to give her a dirty look.

"Hey!" He swat her hands away, causing her to chuckle. He pointed at her. "Don't touch the goods!" he shouted, completely serious.

Ko smiled at that and held up her hands in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry…" She grinned slightly. "So, who are you?" she asked.

The Ottsel smirked and held up a finger. "I am…ORANGE LIGHTNING! ZAZAZING!" He quickly darted in front of her, smirking.

Tess smiled sweetly as she walked next to him. "This is Daxter," she told Ko, who nodded.

Just as she said that, Daxter turned to face her, and grinned smugly. "Tess baby! Your hero is back from yet another perilous journey!" he crowed. Tess giggled and Ko rolled her eyes, getting out of her seat. She grabbed her drink, and placed a few dollars on the table.

Ko slowly made her way towards the exit, head downcast. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her lip slightly turned down. Daxter reminded her of Makoto so much… Her hands clenched yet she held back a yell of anger. She needed to learn how to control her anger and hurt…

A solid force collided into her shoulder, causing the hand that was gripping the bottle to release. Her eyes widened, eyebrows rising too. She looked up, and immediately felt her head start pounding. A man with yellow hair that adorned green roots stood there, sending her a glare. Ko felt her eyes turn from shock into sorrow and confusion at the sight of him, yet she didn't know why. A sharp pain jolted through her head, causing her to grip it and grunt. She didn't utter anything to the man as she ran out of the bar, vision flashing. Tess's voice rang in her ears for a moment, yet she didn't turn around to face her friend. Her head lifted at the sound of a Zoomer, and she jumped up, yanking the person out of the seat.

Alarms echoed around her as she sped through the city, some of the men in the blue suits chasing her shooting at her Zoomer. As it began to smoke, she bailed into the water, somehow willing her body into a dive. The water immediately clouded her vision, causing everything around her to turn blurry. She kicked up to the surface, and took in a deep breath, blinking her eyes frantically. The guards had left, yet the pain in her head had not. A shrill ringing echoed in her ears, almost causing her to grip her head and curl up in a ball. She could not though; she had to swim back.

Forcefully, she swam towards the metal road, gripping the ramp that led to the walkway. She pulled herself up to her feet, stumbling onto the walkway. Others shot her strange looks as she stumbled everywhere, clutching her head. She returned the looks with a glower, quickly shutting her eyes from the pain afterwards however. A small alley appeared in her stuttering view, and she stumbled towards it, many people steering clear of her. When she set foot in the shadowed area, the pain became unbearable, and Ko dropped to her knees, falling onto her side. The metal scraped at her skin, yet she became oblivious to the other pain, falling deep into a memory…

_Ko looked up from her shaking hands, eyes full of apprehension. Her long sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her white dress brought out her dark brown eyes. The cold floor sent slight shivers through her since her feet were bare, yet this was normal for many of the children living in their city._

_A loud clanging echoed throughout the large hall, causing her to whimper softly. She shrank back at the sight of tall man strolling forward with a look of annoyance and pride. A young boy walked next to him, looking slightly afraid. The two children made eye contact, yet Ko quickly looked away, biting her lip._

_"Tasheo!" the man thundered, voice sending shudders through Ko's body. She didn't like this man… "I demand for an explanation of such short supplies of Eco you have sent to us!"_

_Ko noted that the boy shrank back from all the yelling just as she was. The two made eye contact yet again, and Ko put all her hope in her gaze, smiling a bit when she saw that he straightened a bit from her reassuring look. Their parents wouldn't become enemies…and they wouldn't be caught in the enemy square…_

Ko released a groan as she felt some functioning return to her mind, slowly opening her eyes. The agony that had tortured her when she'd last been conscious had faded away, along with the awful ringing. The girl released a small exhale of contentment at that, and pushed herself up, observing the area she was in. Memories from before rushed through her head, and she narrowed her eyes at remembering the man. He seemed so familiar…

Shaking her head, Ko got to her feet, realizing that it had transformed into nighttime. She frowned at the realization of how long she'd been out cold. Releasing a breath, she strolled out of the alley, observing the area around her. Barely anyone was out at this time, giving her some sense of ease. She'd never been one for crowds.

Rubbing the back of her sore neck, she began to stroll forward, eyebrows furrowed as she fell into deep thought. Now that she thought about it, she wouldn't have anywhere to sleep. Two years ago, she'd always sleep in the Underground hideout, yet now she had nowhere to go. She was certain that they wouldn't supply a place to sleep if she signed up for being a Freedom League guard at the moment. She exhaled. _Great…Just great…_

Ko suddenly heard nearing, heavy footsteps, causing her to look up. Two Guards were rushing towards her, so she side-stepped, confused. "Metalheads are attacking the city!" One of the guards yelled into a communicator, voice frantic.

Ko stared at the fading figures as the ran towards where she remembered Haven Forest was. She furrowed her eyebrows, and pulled out her pistols, checking her ammo. Seeing that she had enough ammo, she sprinted after them, appearing as a flash to any stray wanderers. Chasing after thieves in any towns she'd visited while traveling around in the Wasteland had come in handy. She was thankful that she'd left the city two years ago.

A claw suddenly latched itself in her right shoulder, causing her to cry out. The sharp sensation caused adrenaline to start coursing through her system, causing her eyes to sharpen its senses. Before she could elbow her attacker, however, a syringe jabbed down in her left arm, an unknown liquid automatically burning through her adrenaline and shooting through her body. Her veins screamed out in pain as if they were being burnt, and the liquid climbed up her neck, causing her to spit some of it out.

Ko released a yell of agony and anger, grabbing the claw and ripped it out of her shoulder. With her remaining energy, she pulled out her pistol and shot her attacker in the forehead, suddenly taking out a Skull gem. She gasped at the sight of the Metalhead… _It looks…human._ She shook her head, and felt something warm dripped down her chest. She looked down, grimacing at the sight of blood staining her clothing. "Crap," she choked out, throat throbbing from the liquid that the Metalhead had injected into her body.

Looking up from her wound, Ko spotted Freedom League guards battling the human like Metalheads. None looked back at her when she cried out and dropped to her knees, clutching her chest in torment. One of her eyes cracked open, pupils dilating. Everything around her began to flash as one of the human like Metalheads stalked towards her, ready to strike her down.

Ko shut her eyes, prepared for her death.

"What are you doing?!" An angered voice shouted, followed by a series of gun shots. Ko cracked open her eyes, and spotted the man from before glaring at her from over his shoulder. She instantly recognized Daxter, who was perched on his left shoulder, and realized that this must've been Jak. "Get up and fight!"

Ko released a lungful of air that she just realized that she was holding, and gasped, wincing from the pain. "I-I can-"

With that, Ko found a darkness taking over her vision, pulling her under with it.

_~However, hope seems to disappear altogether at one point in life, sending mass waves of pain and torture in its absence~_

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter series, they belong to their**

**respectful and rightful owners.**

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**I hope that it was a good first chapter, and that Ko doesn't seem to much like a cliche character. ._. I tried to make her original. I only own Ko, and her siblings/backstory/family.**

**Anyway, have a cheesy day and week! ^_^**

**-MF:(**


	2. Chapter 2: A Needle Is the Downfall

**Welp, here's the second chapter to Pure Yet Tainted! I got confused with whether or not Ashelin's the Governor of Haven City now, or the Baroness. O.o I'm a bit rusty with my knowledge on the series, but I remember mostly everything. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy, I only own Ko. The Jak and Daxter trilogy belongs to their respectful and rightful owners. **

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She had seen the liquid that had been shot into her body before she believed that she had died. Her heart stuttered, her breathing halted and her eyes widened. It wasn't possible… What she had spotted had gone extinct when its vents had been destroyed…but that didn't explain how or why she had seen it before she "died".

Ko didn't want to believe that it was inside of her system…yet it didn't matter now. She was dead…right?

A sharp pain suddenly jabbed into her right leg, causing her to mentally cry out. Why was she feeling pain when she was supposedly dead? Was that even possible? Or maybe…maybe she wasn't dead. Maybe she was just unconscious. That wasn't something that reassured her. If what she'd thought was inside her, she would suffer for a long period of time before dying. She would eventually have to awaken and face that pain, unless she was just hallucinating.

Ko wanted to believe that she was indeed hallucinating. Oh, how she wanted to believe that. Yet a voice deep inside her murmured to her in a sad voice that her vision had been perfectly correct, however Ko blocked out that voice. She didn't need anything else happening to her at the moment. That man that seemed so familiar was stressing her out well enough, causing her to rack through her poor memory as a child. She had felt her heart ache when she saw him…and that supplied her enough proof that she'd met him before.

If she could've, Ko would have frowned and rubbed her temples. Yet, here she was, drifting through a dark, painful place, confused and alone. Her body could only ache, and her mind could only cause her puzzling thoughts that she didn't want present.

"Is she dead?" A familiar voice asked, followed by something warm poking her right arm. Cold air chilled over her, followed by the soft sensation of a blanket over waist. The throbbing in her shoulder returned, yet was quite subdued. A light pressure was applied next to her, yet the thought only passed through her mind was the famous, '_Where am I?'_. The realization that she was indeed alive crashed down on her.

Squeezing her eyes, Ko slightly turned her head to the right, cracking open her eyes. Bright lights immediately caused her to wince, squinting her eyes. "Do I seem dead?" she groaned, forcing her eyes open. The sight of Daxter next to her surprised her, yet she made sure she did not show it. Instead, she rubbed her forehead, head aching. She closed her eyes again, furrowing her eyebrows.

"How are you feeling?" a familiar voice asked, causing her to lift her head and to open her eyes. A woman with red hair stood at the foot of her bed, face emotionless. Ko was taken aback to see her, yet smiled. The woman's face remained blank, yet Ko spotted recognition spark in her eyes and her lips twitch.

"Peachy," she replied, causing the woman to smirk. She forced herself up into a sitting motion, yet was surprised when the other end of the bed lifted, supporting her back. Her eyes widened, and she heard the woman sigh. "Holy crap!" she exclaimed. "When were hospital beds able to do that?!"

The woman shook her head, rolling her eyes. She crossed her arms, and gave Ko a serious look. "A lot of things have happened in your absence," she told Ko, causing her to stop staring at the back of the bed in amazement.

Ko turned back to face her old friend, and looked behind her, noticing the man from before. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes narrowed as he seemed to observe her. Ko swallowed roughly. She frowned and looked back at her friend. "So I've seen so far," she said seriously. She saw them stiffen a bit. Ko grinned widely and gestured towards the bed. "They made elevating beds!" she laughed, causing her friend to face palm.

She sighed. "No Ko. The Metal Head leader's dead, the Baron's…passed-" Ko could've sworn she detected a bit of sadness in her voice at that last one, "And the city's slowly being rebuilt."

"I know, Ashelin," she replied, causing said girl to raise her eyebrows. "Tess told me pretty much everything, but what happened after Jak defeated the Metal Head leader?"

Jak stood up and walked next to Ashelin, giving her a strange look. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.

Ko ignored the look. She was used to getting them. "Tess told me that Daxter was your friend, and that he usually tagged along with you. So when you killed the Metal Head, I saw him on your shoulder. I figured that you're Jak," she informed him, giving a smug smile. She saw him furrow his eyebrows a bit, and grinned. She spotted Ashelin's lips twitch a little at Ko's thinking, and her smile turned into a large, wide grin. Ashelin knew of her thinking skills, especially because of three years ago…

Ko blinked, pulling herself out of her little flashback. She realized that they were all staring at her in a weird way, and she frowned. "What?" she asked. Like she'd said earlier, she wasn't one for big crowds, and that included people staring at her. It was something she'd gotten from growing up…

Ashelin shook her head. She gestured towards the eighteen year old girl. "You've grown up, huh?" she murmured, looking away.

Ko blinked, tilting her head. She looked down at herself, and rolled her eyes. "Nope!" she said, causing her older friend to look at her with raised eyebrows. She grinned. "I'm still like the Ko who couldn't spell the word cat!"

Ashelin rolled her eyes while Daxter shot her a look. "You can't spell the word cat?!" he asked. Ko smiled sheepishly. He blinked. "Tess was right! You ARE stupid!"

Ko threw him a glare, yet looked over at Jak when he said, "How do you know Ashelin?"

She pouted at that, and looked over at Ashelin with a glimmer of hurt shining in her eyes. "You never talked about my amazingness?" she muttered, causing the Governor to roll her eyes.

Ashelin sighed. "You were incognito, remember? Only Torn, the Shadow and I were supposed to know of your absence. Tess eventually caught on and demanded for answers. It could've been dangerous if anyone found out about you," she told her friend, but Ko's response was only a few blinks.

Ko frowned and flailed her arms, accidently knocking Daxter off of the side of her bed. "That's no reason to not talk about meeee!" she cried. She glowered at Ashelin. "I didn't mind if you talked about me to others," she mumbled.

The red head girl opened her mouth to speak yet was interrupted by Jak, who sent her an impatient look. "You never answered my question. How do you know Ashelin?" he demanded.

Daxter lurched up onto his shoulder. "And my Tess?"

Ko's eyes lit up and she pulled out a lopsided grin. "Well…"

Ashelin sighed and turned around. "Get ready for a novel," she warned Jak, strolling out of the room. "I'm going to check up with Torn on the city's defenses." With that, she disappeared from sight, leaving the two teenagers, and the Ottsel, alone in the room.

Ko stuck her tongue out at where Ashelin had just left and looked back at Jak. She smiled and pointed at a nearby chair. "You can sit down, you know. I won't bite, heck, in this condition I highly doubt I could even really stand," she told him. He sent her a suspicious look, yet plopped down in the chair she'd pointed at. "So, before I answer your question, I would like to thank you for saving my butt back there," she thanked.

"Why couldn't you fight back?" he asked, causing for her to slightly flinch. He saw how she tried to cover it up, yet failed. She forced a twitching smile, but he didn't fall for it.

Ko instantly knew that he'd seen her flinch, and mentally cursed. He was going to hold that against her in the future, she just knew it. "You saw my injuries, right?" she said, crossing her arms. "They practically made it impossible to fight."

"You don't seem like the type to give up that easily," he pointed out, a defying look suddenly appearing in his eyes for a moment. At the sight of her eyebrows slightly pulling together and her lip turning down, a slight smirk appeared.

"How would you know that?"

"Daxter told me that you said you were in the Wasteland for two years. We've been out there plenty of times; we know how skilled you have to be to survive out there," he informed her, causing her eyes to slightly widen.

"Why'd you end up out there? Was it because of your defiance?" she questioned, leaning forward a bit. An interested look took over her earlier annoyed expression, causing Jak to mentally roll his eyes.

On Jak's shoulder, Daxter whispered into his ear, "I'm really beginning to wonder how she survived out in the Wasteland if she's this distracted." He slightly nodded at that, and looked back at Ko, who suddenly seemed a lot younger with that childish look on her face.

"What's it to you?" he asked, crossing his arms and shooting a look to the injured girl.

She held up her hands defensively, shooting another sheepish grin his way. "Hey! I'm just a curious girl!" she defended. "I haven't been in Haven City for two years. I don't know what the heck is going on!"

Daxter put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, well, curiosity killed the cat."

Ko pouted. "Do you see any ears, or tail?" she mumbled.

Daxter gave a flirty smirk, yet before he could say anything Jak smacked him upside the head. "Hey!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?!"

Jak ignored him, and sent her an annoyed glare. "You never answered my question," he growled, causing the other to roll her eyes.

She waved a hand. "I'm getting to that, jeez." She smiled a bit. "Well, first things first, I am Ko. Last name is a secret, and that secret is one no one knows, so don't ask!" she told him, giving a happy wink. Ko beamed at them with that, yet the look in her eyes held a tad bit of seriousness. "So, when I turned fourteen I ran away from home and joined the Underground when I realized that the Baron had made such a mess out of a once beautiful city. I was really, really young, yet proved myself to be worthy by stealing some documents from a nearby Krimzon Guard camp. But I got shot in the shoulder and leg." Ko rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, leaning back into the bed. "So, instead of sending me out on those stupid action packed missions, Torn held me back at HQ to look over maps and devise strategies for any attacks." Ko furrowed her eyebrows at the memory of forever ago, pursing her lips. "Stupid guy always made fun of how short I was back then, and how I was illiterate. He taught me how to read certain things though, and over time I just taught myself how to read important areas or words."

She blinked rapidly and looked over at the other two, grinning in embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed a tiny bit. "Heh, sorry. Got a bit off track," she apologized.

Jak frowned a bit, leaning back in his chair. "You were fourteen when you joined the Underground?" he repeated, voice sounding distant.

Ko nodded, lips turning up into yet another smile. He noted how much she smiled. It was becoming a tad annoying. "Yep! That's when the city really went downhill too. The Krimzon Guards became even more vicious, and that's saying something. I don't know why, yet I heard that they went through more difficult training since the Metal Heads were pressing on. Yet some other people said that it was because there were these tests going on and that the Baron was becoming paranoid," she informed him, opening her mouth yet stopping when she saw him stiffen. His face instantly became shadowed and she saw his hands clench into fists. "Hmm? What's wrong?" she asked.

Daxter sent her a cautious look, yet she seemed too ignorant to spot the look. He looked down at his best friend and poked him. "You okay, buddy?"

"Yeah…I'm fine," he muttered out, voice sounding extremely forced.

Ko's eyebrows knitted together when she swore she saw a few bolts of purple electricity flicker from around him. _Dark Eco…Was he in the tests? _She thought to herself. Biting her lip, she felt a sense of concern wash over her. "Do you want me to continue?"

"Go ahead." She saw how he was suddenly in control again, and frowned a bit.

"Well, one day Torn told me that a few of the Underground's recruits had been captured by some Krimzon Guards that'd been sent there for recon. I was the only one in at the moment, so I was sent in to rescue them. When I was younger, I'd learned the basic combat skills, yet I'd never really killed. So, when I made it to the members and they started shooting at me, I was at a loss…" Ko slightly frowned and shook her head. "I-I'll spare you the angst story… But in the end, the members were rescued and Torn started sending me out on more dangerous missions. That all happened when I was fifteen. One day, out on a mission I happened to run across Ashelin, who was defending the Slums against a group of Metal Heads that had made it past some of the defenses. She was the only one fighting, so I joined in on the fight." A smirk overcame her features. "She didn't thank me, which isn't surprising. Instead, she just nodded at me and walked away."

Ko snickered a bit at that, leaning back into her bed. "A few months before I turned sixteen, I ran into her again. Except this time, Torn had assigned me to head out on a mission with her. Our orders were to take out a small Metal Head nest in the Eco Mine…I was surprised that she was actually allowed to go there without any Krimzon Guards freaking out. Anyway, we got in there and BAM!" She slammed her hand down on the railing on the side of her bed, making the others jump. Her face contorted into one of a maniacal grin. "It was an ambush. Ugh, it was a bad one too. There was barely any ammo, and there were only two health packs to use. When we got rid of all of the eggs, a stray Metal Head jumped on me and took me down!" A small chortle came from her. "Man, did Ashelin learn a few new swear words from me that day. Let's just say that I was out of commission for a week or two after that. But on the way back, we were ambushed again. She was lucky that I still had a bit of ammo for the Blaster mod, and so I took down any Metal heads that got too close. When we got back to the aircraft, I passed out from blood loss."

Ko's smirk fell into a tiny smile. "Ashelin isn't one that trusts easily, we can both agree on that." The others nodded, remembering their first encounter with the red haired warrior. "But when I got word that..." She swallowed, yet shook her head. "When I found out something very important to me had been destroyed…I broke down and ran away from HQ. I left Torn and the Shadow a note that I was turning myself into the Baron, and they'd apparently told Ashelin in hopes that she could stop me." A dark look overcame her face at the memory, yet she covered it up with laughing a little. Everyone else felt the veil of her anxiousness however. Nothing could hide that. "I'd decided to visit Haven Forest once more, before that however. The place is always so soothing…and sometimes I have this vibe that something…or someone legendary strolled through the area long ago." A mystic look glazed over her eyes, yet she shook it away, silently chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry…"

Daxter wasn't one to get caught up in stories, but anything was better than going back and getting another mission from Torn. He wanted to stretch the time further, and so he asked, "What happened at Haven Forest?"

"You're interested in a story, Dax?" Jak questioned, voice shocked.

The Ottsel grumbled for a minute, yet rolled his eyes. "Anything's better than getting _another _mission from Tattooed-Wonder!" he told them.

Ko snorted at that, nodding. "I can agree with you on that one," she mumbled. "Isn't he the Commander of the Freedom League now?" she asked. When they nodded, her lips twisted upwards. "Always knew that that grumpy old man would get the position. He never did leave HQ, only if it was an emergency. If you knew how many maps he had, you'd throw him into an asylum, or lock him up in a bar." She giggled at the mental sight of that, yet caught herself. She did _not _giggle. "A-anyway, in the forest…I was just sitting there when someone shot at me. I turned around and it was a _pissed off _Ashelin. Holy Mar, I am never _ever _pissing her off again." At the mention of his name, Jak cringed, yet it went unnoticed by the wide eyed Ko. "She started yelling at me for being insane, and began shooting at me. Luckily, none of the bullets hit me, yet she did eventually slap me. She demanded for my reason of turning myself into the KG, and I told her that I didn't deserve to walk freely. With that, she slapped me again. She told me to cry a river, build a bridge and get over it." She grinned widely. "I broke down again, and cried for a few minutes but then pulled myself together. I promised her that I'd stay strong. But…one day later I left a note directed towards only Ashelin and Torn, telling them that I needed to make sure that it was destroyed, and that I needed to fulfill my promise to Ashelin." Ko cracked a smile at that, and stretched, yawning.

"There's my angst novel. Hope you enjoyed it," she muttered, stretching her arms above her head. A loud crack sounded throughout the room, and Ko winced slightly, pulling her right arm down and stretching it again.

The other two sat there, silent. Jak had no idea what to say, he never was good with what to say in certain situations, this being one of them. Daxter, however, always knew how to break tension. "So, why is she not threatening you with every move you make?" he questioned.

She cracked open an eye and stared at him for a moment. "Not many people see someone completely break down," she told him, voice emotionless. "In the moments when someone loses emotional control, their real self emerges to the surface. That's when you're as close as possible to the person." She looked down at the floor.

Daxter's face became confused. He waved a hand up and down. "Eh…bipolar much?" Ko looked up from that, the familiar light reappearing. She stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes. "You never told me about Tess!" he exclaimed.

She yawned yet again, laying back into her pillows. Her eyes fluttered shut. "Ask her yourself," she murmured, voice exhausted. "I'm too tireddd. But before I go to sleep…" Her eyes opened. "How do you get this thing to lower?"

~:~

Ko stuck her head out into the hospital lobby, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Her head whipped left and right, scanning for any employees wandering around. No one was in sight at the moment, granting her the perfect moment. The eighteen year old quickly ran across the lobby, ducking into a hallway. She grinned widely, and began to stroll down the hall.

Her eyes traveled over each door, seeing indents that must've meant something, yet not understanding a thing. She huffed, pouting. _Being able to read must be fun, _she muttered mentally. _At least I know the important words. _At that thought, her feet halted at a blurred glass door, eyes trained on the metal slab on the middle. 'Dr.' Ko heard hushed, yet angered words coming from a familiar voice behind the door. Curious, she pressed her back against the wall next to the door and strained her ears.

"Can't you do anything?!" a female hissed, voice gruff. Ko frowned when she realized that Ashelin was here. Did she return after speaking to Torn? "I can't lose another potential warrior!"

There was the sound of someone setting something down, and a sigh followed. "Ashelin, we have already attempted every possible way to get the Tainted Eco out of her system," a husky voice replied.

At that, Ko's eyes widened and her heart stuttered. She placed a hand over her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Water suddenly clouded her vision yet she blinked it away, removing her hand. _I was right… _Swallowing down a scream, she shut her eyes and fell to her bottom, pulling her knees up to her chest. _Well…crap. _Shaking her head, she got back to her feet and strolled back into the lobby, yet stopping when she found herself in a deep loss.

"You found out then?" a small voice murmured, causing the sandy haired girl to turn. A short nurse stood there, holding onto a pile of clothes. Her green eyes shone with sadness yet a forced smile appeared. "I'm sorry."

Ko raised a hand and shook her head. "Don't be…" Her eyes narrowed at the pile of clothes in the nurse's hands. "Wait…are those my clothes?" she asked.

The nurse looked down at her hands and smiled, handing them over to the teenager. "Yes…I'd heard of your situation. I knew just by looking at you that you wouldn't sit around and…die." She frowned at that. "So I was cleaning your clothes."

Ko's eyebrows shot up in surprise. When she was fourteen, Torn had told her that barely anyone in this city would treat her with respect; that this city was corrupted. Yet, maybe she'd finally found at least one person who had put up walls to the corruption they lived in every day. "Th-thank you."  
The nurse nodded and handed the clothes to her. "Stay safe, dear. I know that you have an idea where your antidote is, and please do find it," she murmured, eyes suddenly transforming from perkiness to sadness.

The other frowned at that, looking down at her clothes. She bit her lip. Looking back up, Ko gave a reassuring smile. "I do have an idea where the antidote is, and when I find it I'll come back after and tell you. Thank you for all your help," she thanked. With that, she walked back into her room, silently closing the door behind her.

Shaking her head, Ko sighed and withdrew her hand from the doorknob. Breaking a strained laugh, Ko quickly changed into her clothes, instantly feeling more ready and secure. Her parents had made the clothes for her, and it was all that she owned that had been touched by them at one point in time. Smirking, she looked glanced around for her pistols. The smirk fell into a grimace. Her weapons were nowhere. "Fudge," she muttered.

"Ko?!" A familiar voice yelled, causing her to spin around. Ashelin stood there, eyes wide yet containing a confused and angered look within. Her hand was wrapped around the doorknob, the door wide open.

Said girl grinned sheepishly, slowly taking steps towards the window on the other side of the room. She scratched the back of her head. "Uh…hi!" she greeted awkwardly.

Ashelin's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?" she demanded. "You need to rest!"

Ko continued grinning, noticing how close she was towards the window. Ashelin noticed too and slowly began to advance. "Well, uh…you see…" She trailed off when she saw the syringe in Ashelin's right jean pocket, a strange liquid glistening inside. "What's that?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing. Her heart thumped inside her chest. She _didn't likes needles…_or strange liquids with it.

Ashelin looked away, biting her lip. Ko didn't like the sudden tension… "The doctor told me that you have…" She frowned.

"Tainted Eco in me?" Ashelin looked at her friend in surprise and shock, opening her mouth to demand how she knew yet Ko held up her hand, silencing her. Her face became grave. Time to start telling the half-truth… "I overheard you and the Doctor speaking…but _what's with the syringe?_" Ko didn't want to keep playing around. She needed to get out and start looking.

Ashelin heard the serious tone in Ko's voice, and sighed, ready for the storm. "The Doctor told me about what Tainted Eco does to you and how much suffering the victim goes through before…well, no one knows what happens in the end," she muttered, voice still dominant, yet Ko knew better. "…This syringe…" She closed her eyes and bit her lip even harder. "If I inserted it into your system…"

"It would kill me." The words in hung in the air. Ko's voice had been so emotionless, so blank that it seemed as if she was a robot. Her eyes were wide, and her arms hung at her side. In her eyes, emotions battled each other. Sadness appeared for a second, then anger, then betrayal, and it all repeated. Ko knew that Ashelin considered her to be a good friend, and that she didn't like seeing her suffer, but… "You were…going to kill me?" Her voice that time had taken a heartbroken tone, and Ashelin could've sworn that a single tear dripped down her friend's face. Ko lowered her head, and her frame began to tremble. "A-after everything…A-after I co-come back…THIS IS WHAT I GET?!" she screamed, head whipping up.

Tears streamed down her face, causing Ashelin to be taken aback. Ko's brown eyes screamed hurt and betrayal, the oncoming tears emphasizing that. Ashelin furrowed her eyebrows at this. "Ko-"

Ko shook her head vigorously, squeezing her eyes shut in hurt. "Shut up," she growled, causing Ashelin to fall silent. "I'm leaving," she hissed. "And this time…I'm leaving for good." With that, Ko spun around and launched herself out of the nearby window, shattering the glass. As she slid down the roof, tears whipping behind her, glass cut into her skin, yet only one thought ran through her mind. _Would it hurt less than the Tainted Eco?_

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! ^_^ If I remember correctly, this one turned out to be eight and a half pages on Word, so I'm pretty proud of it. I hope Ko doesn't seem like a Mary Sue or anything. Please PM me and tell me if she is, or if you have any suggestions. Thanks! Have a good day/week! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 3: A Duo Rises

**Any readers who are keeping track with this story may be wondering my about update schedule. I've decided to update this story every 4-5 days. If problems appear, however, don't be surprised if I change it.**

**Anyways, I don't want this story to be entirely focused on Ko, so after one chapter that's focused on Ko, I'll go around to other well-known characters or the mystery character that decided to pop up in this chapter...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy, I only own Ko and the new,mysterious characters. The Jak and Daxter trilogy belongs to its rightful and respectful owners.**

* * *

Over in the Freedom League HQ, Torn was hunched over yet another table, eyebrows furrowed and eyes quickly darting back and forth as he read a recent report. Newly developed Metal Heads had broken through the already broken wall, attacking the Port. The Freedom League had managed to hold off the attack, yet they'd lost a rather unsettling amount of their own.

Sighing, he pulled back and rubbed his temples, reaching for the mug of coffee a few feet away. He'd known that the situation Haven City would be in, even after taking the Baron off of the throne and defeating Cyber-Errol, would be fragile, yet he was sure that most of the more dangerous Metal Heads had been taken down. Once again, he'd been proven wrong and it was thrown in his face.

Drinking down some coffee, he pushed the report aside, pulling out another one. It was dated two days back, and was a rather short report. Putting down the mug of coffee, Torn began to read it.

"Two days ago, highly developed Metal Heads broke through the Wall, taking many Freedom League Guards by surprise. They stormed through the Industrial section and took down many Guards and civilians. I was quickly wounded by one of these Metal Heads, yet managed to pull myself up into a safe position, shooting at some of the enemies.

These Metal Heads are very intelligent, appearing almost human-like physically. They were able to dodge some of point blank attacks, and were even able to take cover and shoot with their palm, which seemed to suck Dark Eco out of their system and fire it. We have a new enemy it seems, and this one is proving to be a very difficult and strategic one."

Torn frowned as he finished reading the report, pulling back. He remembered Ashelin coming in HQ around thirty minutes ago, informing him that Jak had been there at the attack. She told him that they'd gotten through half of the Industrial section, and had just started attacking the Port when Jak arrived and, with the help of some Guards, stopped the assault.

When she'd told him that Jak confirmed the claim of human-like Metal Heads he had immediately cursed and turned back to the reports and maps, scanning over the documents. There was no time for dilly-dally anymore; the war was raging on.

"My my…" a voice murmured, causing Torn to snap his head up, spinning around. A rather short girl with black hair pulled into low pigtails stepped out into the light, an amused look covering her face. "The Commander of the Freedom League is left all alone at HQ? Makoto will be pleased to hear that their defenses are low," she smiled, voice sweet yet facial expressions twisting into those of a sadist's.

Torn instantly pulled out his dagger, holding it in front of him. He glowered at the girl, yet this caused her to smile even wider. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he snarled.

The girl smirked and held her hands behind her back. "I am Mai Tonbo, and Commander of the Freedom League, I am here to take control of the entire city," she giggled. His eyes narrowed at that, and he tensed. She noticed his tension and grinned. "Aww…don't be like that, Commander…after all, it's going to be our little secret, right?" With that, she took a few steps forward.

Out of nowhere, vines of Dark Eco erupted from the ground and wrapped around Torn's wrists and ankles. The dagger fell from his grip and crashed into the ground, the noise echoing through the empty area. His eyes widened for a brief amount of time, yet everything quickly registered. She was leading the Metal Head army. He instantly began to struggle, yet something instantly began to burn around his wrist and ankles. "Crap!" he yelled out, looking over at his wrists. Dark Eco was covering his wrists, and he instantly realized that it was harming him.

Mai was now in front of him, a mischievous look glimmering in her eyes. A smirk twisted her lips upwards, and a single finger rose to her lips, barely touching it. "It'll be our secret," she giggled. With that, she turned and strolled out of the HQ, yet before she took the elevator down, she smiled at Torn, and rose her hand, creating a wall of Dark Eco in front of the door.

"Have fun."

~:~

Ashelin stormed through New Haven, her aura warning those to either keep their distance or to treat her with respect. Her hands were clenched at her sides and her eyebrows were pulled down tightly. The syringe that had been in her pocket was tucked away in a case back at the hospital. It was under high safety measures, seeing how it was very deadly and could cause complete and utter chaos.

She shook her head at the thought of the syringe. Ko just had to be stupid and run off! She just had to put herself in a position that stressed other people out and shoot them all another annoying smile. Ashelin didn't even mind that the girl had been crying at this point. Torn had always grumbled about her being over emotional whenever the Shadow had brought her up, and so she took his word for it…and his word was correct.

Growling quietly, Ashelin snapped herself out of her thoughts and stormed towards HQ, yet halted when she spotted a short girl with black hair sitting on the edge of the fountain. The girl looked up at her, and a smirk instantly appeared. "Are you Ashelin?" she inquired, voice sounding sweet… Ashelin's eyes narrowed. Too sweet…

She crossed her arms, eyes taking an even more warning glint. "What's it to you?" she demanded.

The girl grinned, pushing herself to her feet. She placed her hands behind her back and leaned back on her heels. "It's an honor to meet you," she giggled, lips ending up in a smile.

Mentally, Ashelin groaned. Great…another smiler. She glared at the girl. "What do you want?" she hissed, yet all the girl did was grin.

"You remind me quite a bit of the Commander...Are you two friends by any chance?" she observed, placing a finger on her chin. She grinned when she spotted the other stiffen. "Oh yes…you have no idea what happened." The girl beamed. "Our plan is going exactly as thought out."

Ashelin pulled one of her pistols out of her holster, and aimed it at the girl, eyes narrowing. "What did you do to Torn?" she growled.

The girl's eyes widened innocently, placing a hand on her chest. "Why, I've done nothing to Mr. Commander…" She shrugged. "It's only normal to trap him with Dark Eco, right?" Her mouth turned upwards with a maniacal grin.

A loud beep sounded from the girl, causing her to pout. "Aw…" she whined, crossing her arms. "Mako-ko didn't let me have any fun with you…" She bit her lip. "Oh well…I guess I can have fun with you later."

Ashelin pulled back the trigger at the girl, yet was taken aback when a pillar of Dark Eco was standing in front of the girl, apparently holding the bullet within. Her eyes widened as she smirked, taking a few steps forward. "Did you know…that Dark Eco can be used for many, many things?" she whispered, eyes suddenly taking an ominous appearance.

Ashelin cocked her gun, ready to pull back the trigger again when a tendril of Dark Eco wrapped around it, tossing it out and over into the water. She hissed in surprise, pulling out her other pistol when a hand wrapped around it. Her eyes shot up and met misty brown ones. "You are now my servant," a voice murmured, causing Ashelin to sink back. "You will follow all my orders."

In her mind, Ashelin registered that she had been caught by the enemy, yet this only lasted for a moment. A haze washed away the recognition and replaced it with susceptibility. She fell back into the fog, with one last thought ringing out…

Crap.

~:~

Sig was enjoying his life. It was as simple as that.

Here he was; lounging in a throne in a large throne room when just a year ago he'd been serving a scumbag named Krew. His nose rid up in disgust at the very thought of the man. He was glad that he was dead now.

Despite the city's needs stressing him out every now and then, he was very fond of this sort of lifestyle. Not having to go back to Haven City was a dream come true. Everyone was weak there, and he did not want to have to deal with a bunch of weaklings. Ruling a large civilization of fighters was much more appealing, seeing how useful they proved to be at certain times.

Smirking, he reached into a bowl of fruit and pulled out an apple, biting into it. Chewing it, he thought over the recent events. Metal Head activity was still low, thankfully, but the Marauders had suddenly disappeared altogether, causing many to be paranoid and worried as to what was happening. Jak hadn't been around so he had no one to send out and investigate the matters.

Sighing, he bit into the apple again, and leaned back in the throne, staring up at the ceiling.

"Enjoying your life, eh?" an annoyed voice asked from the shadows, causing Sig to bolt upright. A slight snicker sounded throughout room, and a foot clothed by a sandal stepped into the light. "Others are collapsing under the stress of corruption, while a fool just idly sits here and eats apples…" A short boy with spiky black hair appeared, smirking angrily. "How nice."

Sig got to his feet, grabbing Peacemaker. He aimed it at the boy, yet was slightly taken aback when the boy made no indication that he was fazed. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

The boy rolled his eyes, taking a few steps forward. Sig's eye narrowed, and he cocked the gun, but the boy only smirked even wider. He put up his hand, and a swirling essence appeared in it, dark and warning. "I am only here to bring an end to corruption…to search for the essence that can and will spread all purity," he murmured, causing Sig to frown.

Realizing that something was seriously wrong with the kid, he did not regret pulling back the trigger, releasing a large ball of energy at him. The kid's eyes narrowed for a moment, and he completely disappeared. Sig furrowed his eyebrows and scanned the area. "Behind you!" a voice cackled, causing Sig to spin around. He met hazy eyes, and quickly found himself feeling mentally dizzy and unstable. "You are now my servant…" The boy muttered. "You will follow out my every command."

With that, Sig found himself falling into his mental fog. He struggled for a moment, yet succumbed to the fog when sleepiness became too difficult to fight off.

~:~

"Mother…what are those creatures?" a young girl of not even eight years old asked, tugging on her mother's skirt while pointing a large group of creatures with glowing skulls. Said girl's mother looked over from the line of clothing that she was currently taking down, eyes bright and happy. The girl instantly saw the look of happiness transform into one of horror.

"Oh my…" Her mother gasped, dropping the large coat that was in her hands. The young girl looked back at the strange creatures and frowned. They looked weird… A small weight was tossed onto her shoulders, causing the young girl to look up at her mother. Her mother dropped down to her knees and tugged a small vest onto the younger girl, tears shimmering in her eyes. The young girl tilted her head as her mother buttoned up her vest.

"Why are you crying, mother?" she asked. Her mother looked up at her, tears now drifting down her tan face. She gave a small, sad smile, and patted her daughter's cheek. She pulled out a bandana, and wrapped it around her head. The young girl's eyes traveled upwards as she struggled to see the bandana, lifting her hand and patting the fabric.

"Look at you, Yoko," her mother murmured, causing said girl to look over at her. Yoko's mother gave a sad laugh, and clutched her daughter's hands. "You've grown up quite a bit, huh?"

Yoko looked her mother in the eyes and shook her head. "No." Her mother raised her eyebrows at that. "I'm still a kid. I want to be a kid." Her mother released a sob at that, wrapping her arms around her child. Yoko's eyes widened a bit, yet she eventually returned the hug. "I'll always be your kid, mother."

She felt her mother nod, releasing another sob shortly afterwards. The grip tightened, before slacking. "I love you, Yoko."

Yoko nodded at that, and was gently pushed back. Her mother pulled back, face covered in tears. She nodded, and looked over at the door, where a tall man with spiked brown hair stood, face grave. When he spotted Yoko, his eyes narrowed, clearing his throat. "Come on Yoko, I want to show you a place," he told her.

Said girl looked over at her mother, who nodded, forcing a smile. Yoko furrowed her eyebrows, yet stepped forward, taking her father's hand, releasing her mother's.

Little did Yoko know, releasing her mother's hand would mean releasing her childhood.

~:~

Jak knew something was wrong when he spotted cloaked figures strolling around, talking to other cloaked people. His eyebrows slightly knitted together each time, and he very slightly noticed that Daxter tensed when he caught on. His hands began twitching, the idea of taking out the Morph Gun becoming more and more plausible as time grew.

He was walking towards the Freedom League HQ, deciding that not stealing a Zoomer was a good idea. Daxter had agreed too, complaining that his fur would get messed up and that he could die if Jak crashed. He rolled his eyes at that. Typical Dax.

As he rounded a corner, his eyes caught sight of a glowing Skull, yet being quickly concealed by a dark hood. At first, his eyes had widened and he almost pulled out his Morph Gun, yet a furry paw wrapped around his wrist. Daxter shot him a look. "I thought I saw a Metal Head," Jak muttered.

Daxter's eyes widened and he scanned the area, standing upright. "WHERE?!" he shouted, automatically causing everyone to lay their eyes on them. He slouched down, showing them all a sheepish grin. "Heh heh…" He glared down at his best friend. "You know, playing pranks like that isn't good for my mental health," he told his friend.

Jak sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. "It must be the nerves," he told himself, yet deep down his gut told him that something bigger was happening, and the nerves weren't involved. He never noticed this however, and finally spotted the fountain that signaled that they were near the HQ. Picking up speed, he came to a halt when he spotted Ashelin and a bunch of guards standing straight and tall in front of a short girl with black hair.

He felt Daxter lean down on his shoulder. "Hey, who's that weird looking chick?" Daxter asked.

Jak didn't respond, yet found his hand twitching yet again. His eyebrows creased, yet he forced himself to stroll forward. When he found himself in hearing range, he opened his mouth, ready to call for Ashelin yet stopped. "-I want you to find this nuisance and get information on them. Do you all understand?" a sweet voice asked.

The others nodded, saluting the girl. "Yes ma'am!" they all shouted, causing the girl to smirk.

The smirk disappeared, however, when she spotted the two, eyes widening. "Ah, who's this?" she murmured, taking a few steps forward. Her eyes instantly took on an amazed look. "Ah…Makoto warned me about you…Are you Jak and Daxter?" she called out.

Jak frowned when he spotted the others making no moves of acknowledgement of their existence. What was going on here? "What if we are?" Daxter called, causing the girl to smile sweetly.

The girl closed her eyes, giggling a bit. "Why…you're very cute," she giggled, causing the two heroes to stiffen.

"Cute?!" Daxter exclaimed, voice rising a bit. Jak felt his friend shudder.

The girl bit her lip. "Why, it would be my pleasure to have you two as my experiments…but Mako-ko wouldn't like that…" Her eyebrows were pulled together and her lip turned downwards. "Oh pooey…well…" She straightened a bit and latched her hands together. "If you can't be my experiments, you'll just be the main experiment for my new powers!" she said.

"Experiments?!" Daxter shrieked, voice rising ever higher. Jak took a step backwards, hand latching around the Morph Gun.

The girl winked at them. "My name's Mai…write it on your graves!" she yelled out, pointing her finger at them. She grinned demonically. "Kill them!"

"OUR GRAVES?!" Daxter screamed, hurting Jak's ear, yet he didn't mind. He rolled to the left, dodging multiple bullets. He pulled out the Morph Gun, switching it to the Beam Reflexor. Firing a few shots, he saw a few Freedom League guards go down, yet found himself taken aback when he spotted Ashelin aiming at him from afar. He rolled to the right, dodging a few bullets. In the background, he realized that Daxter was screaming, yet ignored it, dodging again. He realized that Ashelin was under some hypnosis, frowning at so. That must've been the power that Mai was speaking of.

"Nuh uh uh!" a sweet voice cried out, startlingly nearby. Jak whipped around, and found himself face to face with Mai. Daxter shrieked out of fear, and ran behind Jak's head. The girl smirked. Her hand wrapped around the Morph Gun. "No gun for you means more fun for me!" she laughed. Almost instantaneously, a bolt of painful electricity ran throughout the gun, coursing into Jak's body. Daxter jumped off and into the water, yelling out of fear.

Jak found himself shaking between balances. He instantly realized that Mai had destroyed the Morph Gun with Dark Eco, and that it was now coursing through his own system. He found the monster that he usually kept locked away in a box now attempting to shred its way to the surface, yet quickly built another wall, shaking himself to his senses.

Mai was only a few feet away, analyzing the broken Gun. Her eyebrows twisted upwards. "Oops, I'm sorry," she murmured. "Did I break your only weapon?" Her eyes traveled over to him, and her mouth turned into a devious smirk. "My bad."

Jak instantly realized that he was outnumbered, and looked around for Daxter. He found his friend clutching a lamppost nearby, and sprinted over towards, still slightly disoriented from the shock of Dark Eco. When his hand wrapped around his friend's torso, he yanked him off of the structure and pulled out his jetboard, performing a boost. Gun shots rang out from behind him, and some narrowly missed him as he escaped, yet he ignored them.

"Tess!" Daxter cried out. "We need to make sure my darling Tessie-Poo isn't hurt…or worse!"

Jak rolled his eyes at his friend, and continued onwards. Civilians were now running around in complete chaos, yet he ignored why. His eyes narrowed, though, when he remembered the girl mentioning someone named "Mako-ko". Is she working with someone? Did the other one take over Spargus?!

"Hey Jak, what's up with all the black cloaks everywhere?" Daxter suddenly asked, causing Jak's eyes to widen.

Said man scanned the area, and found himself horrified when he pieced it together. Tens of black cloaks lay in the street, along with multiple burns on the ground. As he traveled through the Industrial section, he realized one thing.

Haven City was now under Mai's control.

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed it! ^_^ Leave a review if you wanna, and if you have any questions I'll happily answer! And pardon any spelling/grammar mistakes. I have a poor eye when it comes to proofreading. Thanks for reading! Have a good day/week! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4: The Dunes Are Quaking

**Here's chapter four to Pure Yet Tainted! ^_^ This chapter is explaining a tiny bit of the plot, and when I say a tiny bit, I mean a tiny bit. I hope that you're enjoying the story so far, however. I'm enjoying writing this story. ^_^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy, the trilogy belongs to it rightful and respectful owners. I only own Ko and the unknown children. **

* * *

Nothing could stop her.

As sand whipped into her wide eyes, as her hair flew in the air behind her as she traveled along the Wasteland, Ko confirmed it right there; nothing could stop her.

Her gloved hands were clenched around the ragged steering wheel, slightly turning back and forth as she passed through the land. Even though many particles of sand whipped into her eyes, her eyes were able to make out all the land in front of her. No tears threatened to fall anymore, yet a slight redness adorned the white of her eyes.

Swallowing roughly, Ko moved her head, cracking her neck. She released a small sigh and pressed her foot down on the acceleration pedal harder, increasing the speed. As she suddenly found herself rocketing across the Wasteland, a sense of ease overcame her. Exhaling in relief, she relaxed in her seat. Even though she was internally dying, being out in the Wasteland filled her with contentment.

The harsh desert may have been brutal, both in its ways and nature, but getting past all of these slight problems revealed peacefulness and tranquility; something everyone needed. Ko felt a small smile cross her features for a moment, before her eyes widened.

A large burning sensation suddenly bit away at her skin, shortly accompanied by the feeling of weightlessness. Blurriness clouded her vision as she tumbled through the air, her skin screaming out in pain as the burning sensation clawed away at it. A sharp object suddenly cut into the lower area of her back, automatically making Ko arch in pain. The dark sky suddenly appeared in her vision, time seeming to slow down. The sharpness of the object was ripped away as she slid down a rocky surface, banging her head on the object behind her. A small groan escaped her.

Ko's vision flickered as chuckling voices grew closer, moving her head to the proper position as she fought away unconsciousness. Their voices echoed distinctly, sometimes roaring in her ear and other times sounding like a faint whisper. Blinking back the blurriness, Ko took in the scene. Large chunks of metal were imbedded in the ground around her, and around twenty feet away the frame of the vehicle she had been driving lay, burnt and wrecked. Frowning, Ko swallowed roughly.

"She'll be a good addition to the slaves!" a gruff voice chuckled, and Ko instantly looked over. A fist collided with her cheek, sending her flying to the left. A grunt escaped the girl as she connected with the ground, jaw throbbing. Biting her lip, Ko placed her hands down on the ground and pushed herself up. As she got to her feet, she scanned the area, and instantly spotted a few large men, who were pulling out guns and spears. Narrowing her eyes, the injured girl tensed and held her fists up in front of her. The men began to chuckle.

Ko suddenly leapt forward, twisting her body in midair. Her legs outstretched as she neared a man, quickly connecting with his body. She jumped off of the impact with the body, and grabbed another nearby man, wrapping her arms around his elbow. Landing on her feet, Ko grit her teeth together and dragged the man around in a circle, tossing him at a nearby rock. Breathing heavily, Ko spun around, prepared to battle another man when yet another sharp pain stabbed into her stomach, causing her to cry out.

Her hands instantly wrapped around hands, yet felt leather underneath the skin. Looking down, she spotted a dagger implanted in her stomach, blood already oozing down the sides. Swallowing, she looked back up and spotted another tan, smirking man. Biting her lip, Ko kicked the man's legs out from underneath him and swung at his temple, effectively knocking him out. She stumbled backwards after, gripping the dagger. Her eyes squeezed shut as she pulled the dagger out, the metal instantly taking on a scorching impression. The pain abruptly halted, and Ko released the dagger.

Breathing heavily, Ko looked around, vision bending. Frowning, she spotted a blurred figure approaching. She turned towards them, and instantly regretted it. A hand wrapped around her left shoulder, connecting with where the syringe of Tainted Eco had been injected. A hoarse scream was released from her throat as the world around her began to shake, her eyes now wide. Her pupils dilated as she felt intense pain shooting throughout her body.

She abruptly found herself knocked down onto the ground, world spinning around her in frantic circles. Despite her pain, Ko blinked away the blurriness and placed her hand on the ground, prepared to push herself up, yet found her neck grabbed, causing her to gasp out. Squinting her eyes, she spotted another man, and instantly figured everything out. The Marauders had attacked her, prepared to bring her in as a slave. Coughing for oxygen, Ko found herself lifted into the air, instinctively kicking her legs.

Gasping for air, Ko found the world flickering as her lungs screamed for oxygen. She clawed the man's hands as she kicked the air, yet nothing could help her. Abruptly, she found herself being thrown to the ground, yet the man's hand was still around her throat. She crashed into the ground arching forward in agony. Air greeted her lungs, yet it was all ripped from her as she had the wind knocked out of her. A loud ringing echoed in her ears as the world around her began to become veiled in darkness.

**_No!_**A voice screamed in Ko's head, causing her eyes to widen. The world instantly brightened, and a surge of strength ran through Ko. She grabbed the hand that was about to crash into her temple, and twisted it, hearing a cracking. Her legs rammed into a ribcage, sending a body flying. A grunt sounded from far away as Ko placed her hands on the ground, pushing herself up. Now on her feet, Ko stumbled forwards, one hand wrapped around her wound. The Marauder was slowly getting to his feet, yet was stopped when her foot crashed into his temple, knocking him out.

Furrowing her eyebrows, the injured girl turned around, scanning the area. _Who was that voice? _She asked herself, looking down at her wound. _How did they give me that…surge? _Biting her lip, Ko sighed, and took a step forward.

**_I'm sorry…_**

****With that, Ko found the world dimming as she collapsed, her limp body rolling down a large sand dune. The only evidence of where she lay was the trail of blood from her wound.

_~:~_

Ko opened her eyes. Moving her head around, she found herself in Haven Forest, clothed in only a long, white dress. Frowning, she took a step forward, and recoiled when she felt something cold brush against her skin. Looking down, she realized that her shoes had been removed. Her eyebrows rose at that, instantly remembering that she had never felt grass before. Smiling, she scanned the area and found a large totem around thirty feet away.

She jumped down from the ledge she was currently standing on, landing agilely. Surprised, she placed her hand over her stomach, and found herself woundless. Her eyebrows pulled together when she looked back up. _What's going on? _She wondered.

"Greetings, young one," a deep voice boomed, causing Ko to jump slightly. Her eyes darted around, until she finally found a glowing figure sitting in front of the totem. Ko tilted her head. "Do not be alarmed, for I am here to inform you of your role."

"What role?" Ko called out, genuinely confused. Who was this strange person?

The glowing figure sighed, and rose to their feet. They held out their hand. "You have been in the presence of a power long forgotten, yet you gave it away. This power is now a threat to the world." Ko frowned at this. "Two unknown children are submerged in Dark Eco, and beyond hope of returning from so. They are power hungry, and wish to rule this world. If they were to get their hands on this power, what they seek will become what they own. Find the holder of this power and guard them, but do not allow others to fall," the figure told her, voice slowly rising.

Ko sent the figure a look. "What about the cure to the Tainted Eco?" she asked them, furrowing her eyebrows when they looked away.

"The cure is extinct, young one." Ko felt her heart drop. "There is no solution to your problem."

Biting her lip, Ko looked down at the ground. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Who holds this power?"

"We do not know. The legends say that the holders are innocent and pure, however. Good luck, young one."

With that, Ko found herself falling through darkness yet again.

_~:~_

"-where you're going! You're going to let some Marauders have a taste of dead Ottsel if you keep this up!" a familiar voice shrieked, causing Ko to furrow her eyebrows. A small groan sounded from her throat as she moved her head, hearing a crack coming from her neck. "Hey! The bipolar munchkin is up and groaning!" the voice announced, causing the Ko's eyebrow to twitch.

Ko's eyes slowly opened, taking in the dark sky as it moved and the ground beneath her rumbled. Looking over, she spotted Jak and Daxter, the Ottsel being the only one looking at her. She raised her eyebrows. "What…" she trailed off.

Jak glanced over at her, yet returned his look on the area in front of him. "We found you out in the Wasteland. There's was a distress signal going off, and we followed it." Her eyes widened a bit when she remembered the Marauder ambush. "You were injured badly, so we took you to the Monk Temple. They healed your wounds…" He looked over, and she spotted a serious look beyond the goggles. "but they couldn't heal the Tainted Eco," he told her, causing her to narrow her eyes.

"How do you know about the Tainted Eco?" she demanded. _Did Ashelin tell him about it?_ She thought, a small aching starting in her chest. Brushing the feeling away, she crossed her arms and gave them a look. "Did Ashelin tell you?" she muttered.

Daxter popped up next to her, causing her to jump a bit. "Yep! She was there at the hospital after we dropped you off there," he informed her. "But none of us knew about it until a while later."

Ko frowned, leaning back into her seat. She bit her lip as she stared up at the night sky, watching stars pass by. "Let me guess…the Monks had no idea what the cure was?" she asked, still watching the stars.

Silence was supreme for what seemed like forever, until Ko finally looked over. Jak was concentrating on driving, while Daxter quickly looked over at her. "Sorry bipolar munchkin," he started, "but they were certain that there is no cure."

Ko's lips turned downward at that, and she looked back up at the sky. "They all say that," she grumbled. Everything fell silent, the rumbling of the vehicle echoing throughout the silent desert. "Say, where are we going anyways?"

"Spargus."

She looked over at Jak, eyebrows furrowed. "Where's that?" she inquired. "I've heard of it, but never been there."

He glanced over at her briefly. "Then where have you been these past two years? Ashelin said that you took off two years ago," he asked her.

Rolling her eyes, the girl sat up straight, and gestured towards the area. "If this world is so large," she began, "then why would there only be one desert city?" She smirked. "There are hundreds of other cities and villages out there, you just have to know your way around to go to them," she informed them.

Daxter gave her a confused look, and planted his hands on his hips. "So how did you not end up as a minion of those nasty Marauders if it was your first time out in the desert when you ran away?" he probed, causing the other to stiffen.

She turned her head and gave him a look. "Private subject," she said, voice sounding restrained.

"You didn't seem that concerned about privacy back in the hospital," the orange Ottsel argued. Ko's eyes snapped over to him, narrowed and eyebrows pulled together.

"That's something I'm open with," Ko hissed.

"And this isn't?"

"Don't peeve me off."

"Will you two just be quiet?!" Jak shouted, causing the others to look over at him in surprise. He casted them a glare before looking back at the Wasteland. "We're almost there."

Ko's face instantly transformed from pissed off to joy as she looked forward, squinting her eyes as sand flew at her face. "Phu phu!" she coughed, spitting out sand as she rubbed her eyes. Biting her lip, she covered her eyes with her hands, slumping down in her seat. "Stupid sand," she grumbled. Looking over, she spotted Daxter giving her a look. "What?"

"Tess was right about your mood swings too," he announced, causing her to frown. "She never mentioned how CRAZY they are though!"

"Screw you," she replied, covering her eyes with her hands again. "I'm not a munchkin! I am not bipolar! And I do NOT have mood swings! Period!" she shouted, gagging as sand went in her mouth again.

"You keep on telling yourself that," Daxter told her, peering out into the Wasteland as Jak neared Spargus. A large force suddenly collided with the side of the vehicle, however, sending them flying.

"HOLY CRAAP!" Ko screamed as they flew through the air, eventually crashing into the wall of a large cliff. She found herself falling out of the vehicle when they came back to the ground, and grabbed the bottom of the seat. "EVER HEAR OF BUCKLING SOMEONE UP?!" she yelled, squeezing her eyes shut. Her hair flew around her as the vehicle crashed into the ground, yet she ignored it. Opening one eye, she spotted a Marauder speeding towards them.

Her eyes widened and she reached over, pressing down the trigger of the grenade launcher. A red grenade struck with the Marauder, blowing the car up. She grinned maniacally and leaned back, crossing her arms behind her head. Jak looked over at her with a blank look, and she returned it with a smirk.

Daxter landed on her shoulder, causing her to jump. "I thought that you were the 'I-can't-kill-because-I'm-too-much-of-a-wimp' type, bipolar munchkin?" he asked.

The girl shot him an annoyed look. "First of all, I'm NOT BIPOLAR!" she shouted, causing him to jump over on Jak's shoulder, who was attempting to start the vehicle. "And second of all, that Marauder was gonna kill himself! He was coming right at us!" she exclaimed. "Crazy idiots."

Jak looked over at her. "How could you tell?" he probed, causing her to give him a look.

She crossed her arms. "Could you guys honestly not spot the vehicle?" she questioned, voice clearly unbelieving. They shook their head, causing her to furrow her eyebrows. Placing her hand on her shoulder, she frowned even deeper. "Strange," she murmured.

They ignored her remark, and Daxter launched into a long rant about the dangers of being Jak's friend. Ko was off in her own world though, looking back up at the sky. As they slowly rumbled towards Spargus, she felt the world around her gradually crumbling.

_~:~_

Jak didn't trust this girl. He kept glancing over at her, and was thankful that she seemed so intent on the night sky. Daxter never seemed to catch onto his wariness, and continued ranting about how his fur was messed up from that stunt. He was toning him out, however, as he focused on driving the last couple of hundred feet.

His thoughts kept wandering back to the earlier events. When he'd attempted to contact Torn, only static replied. When they had started heading back to the Naughty Ottsel, a large barricade of advanced Metal Heads had attacked them, causing them to retreat. A distress signal had eventually popped up, and Daxter had thought that Tess could have escaped with one of the communicators. Jak didn't believe him for one second, but had complied, yet had unfortunately come across Ko.

She'd lost a lot of blood, and he had earlier decided that she'd be a good ally in the war, so he'd brought her to the Monk temple. Even if he didn't trust her, he'd never leave behind a potential ally behind to die.

Blinking rapidly, he looked over at the girl, who was looking at him. He furrowed his eyebrows. "What?" he asked.

She frowned. "Weren't you listening?" she grumbled.

He gave her a look. She returned it boldly, initiating a stare down. A small smirk appeared on his face, causing her to pout. Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked away, crossing her arms. "Nevermind," she muttered.

Jak casted her a suspicious look, yet returned to scanning the Wasteland when he realized something. He remembered Mai's eyes; brown. They seemed eerily similar to Ko's… Slamming on the breaks, he grabbed the collar of Ko's shirt and pulled her up. Her eyes were wide, and he easily confirmed that they shared the same eyes. Narrowing his own eyes, Jak's face twisted into a snarl. "What are you doing here?" he growled, causing Ko to look taken aback.

The girl instinctively raised her hands and wrapped them around the other's, stretching her neck as she gasped for air. "W-what th-the heck i-is you-your problem?!" she hissed, digging her nails into his skin.

Jak glowered at her. "Don't play dumb with me," he growled, causing her to narrow her eyes. She stretched her neck, gasping for air as he tightened his hold.

"I-I d-don't k-know what you're talk-talking about!" she cried out, color slowly draining from her tan face.

"Are you working with Mai?"

That caused her eyes to widen, and for her to shoot him a grief stricken yet horrified look. Her grip slightly slacked. "M-Mai?!" she gasped, stretching her neck again.

Jak's face turned into one of fury, and he tightened his grip to the point where small drips of crimson began to leak down the girl's throat. A paw found itself on his shoulder though, causing him to look over. Daxter's face was there, yet he was not startled. His friend's face was concerned, taking Jak aback. "You know…we couldn't find anything out about Mai and her partner if Ko's DEAD!" he exclaimed.

Jak narrowed his eyes, facing Ko once again. The girl's brown eyes were pleading, yet hardened when they made eye contact. Looking away, the yellow haired man released his hold.

Ko gasped and coughed as she gulped in air, yet Jak made no indication of her presence. "Why do you share the same eyes as Mai?" he snarled.

"We…we were sisters," she whispered, causing him to quickly look over at her. She was rubbing her neck whilst gazing at the sky. "S-she died."

"Then why is she here now?" Daxter asked. "I'm pretty sure that once you're dead, you're dead."

Ko fell silent before biting her lip and placing her arms behind her head. "The city we lived in had a great storage of Eco." Her voice was quiet, so quiet that they had to strain their ears to listen. "We had Tainted Eco vents, and Tainted Eco is Dark Eco mixed with all other Eco. We often had Dark Eco coming out of the vents, and so we eventually started storing it. I-I left after a while…and when I heard that the city was destroyed…" Ko's voice cracked as her eyes narrowed. "She must have gotten to where the Dark Eco was storage and…well, who knows what happened after that." She cleared her throat and sat up straighter, shooting a strained smile their way. A twinkle appeared in her eyes. "Let's get going to Spargus."

* * *

**Well, there's the newest chapter. Ko is extremely bipolar (if you haven't noticed that yet) and I enjoy writing out her crazy mood swings. It's really interesting to see where these mood swings lead her...maybe they'll even cause chaos, hmm? ^_^ **

**Anyways, thanks for reading, and have a fantastic day/week! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5: The World's Tap-Dance

**Hi there! This (unfortunately) is going to be a SHORT chapter. When I wrote this (which was a while ago), I got really lazy and had just returned from an amazing trip. I apologize for the short content. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy. They belong to their rightful and respectful owners. I only own Ko, Mai and the other mysterious characters. **

* * *

Torn cracked open his eyes, meeting the usual darkness. He blinked slowly, slightly moving his head. His eyes met the sight of the girl sitting on the projector, holding a small flashlight while reading a document. Narrowing his eyes, Torn looked away, yet found a hand wrapped around his chin. The hand turned his head to the right, and he found himself staring at Mai's young face. A smirk adorned her features. "Good morning, Commander," she murmured, voice unusually and alarmingly sweet. "How are you feeling?"

Glaring at the girl, Torn remained silent. This was the first time she'd visited. Who knew what could set her off? The girl pouted. "Aww…are you holding a grudge against me?" she asked, leaning down. Her face neared his, a small smile appearing on the tan skin. "Well STOP," she screamed, peaceful expression transforming into an enraged one. A hard force met his cheek, leaving a strong stinging sensation. A loud cackling resounded through the area as Torn spit out blood.

The hand wrapped around his chin yet again, but this time forcefully yanked him to face her face. He realized that bags now were slightly visible under her eyes, and her black hair was slightly ruffled. "You will talk to me," she hissed. "You will SPEAK!" The force met his cheek again, and Torn felt blood replace the spit that left his mouth. Even after the stinging sensation bit away at his skin, he remained silent.

"Fine," she huffed. "Every time you disobey me, this will be your punishment."

With that, Torn could suddenly understand why Jak had been so angry at the Baron for injecting Dark Eco into his system. He had never guessed that he'd be tortured with it, but here he was now; writhing and hollering out in pain. Mai was smirking whilst his body twisted as if he were experiencing a seizure.

He could only hope that someone would rescue him, even though the chance was one in a hundred. Even false hope could help him.

_~:~_

Ko opened her eyes, finding herself staring at a rock ceiling. She frowned, stretching her arms, sighing as she felt a crack and the muscles loosen in the arms. Yawning, she sat up, and realized that they'd fallen asleep in the dune buggy. Her lips turned downward at this realization.

"Finally up?" Jak asked, causing her to look over in surprise. There he sat, though, looking rather exhausted. Ko raised her eyebrows.

The sandy blonde crossed her arms, giving him a look. "You look like you just woke up too," she pointed out. He rolled his eyes. "And Daxter isn't even awake." And she was absolutely true. The orange Ottsel lay on top of the area behind the seats fast asleep, snoring slightly as one arms was draped over the side.

Jak gave her an annoyed look as he poked Daxter, causing the orange Ottsel to fall off onto the other side. "AGH!" Ko smiled as the rodent popped up, fur disheveled and large bags under his eyes. "What was that for?!" he demanded.

"We need to get to Sig and warn him about Mai," Jak told him, standing up. Ko saw him stretch, catching a glimpse of a few scars. The girl frowned at this. "Come on."

The eighteen year old got to her feet, twisting her body as she prepared herself for more walking. "What did Mai look like?" she suddenly questioned, voice extremely curious.

Jak looked at her over his shoulder. "She had long black hair," he informed her, watching her furrow her eyebrows.

"She used to have my hair color, along with her brother…" She shook her head, sighing. "It must have been the Dark Eco."

"How did they survive the Dark Eco though?" Jak muttered, crossing his arms as he fell into deep thought.

He saw in surprise that Ko took off her jacket and revealed a large scar that was a purplish color. "Our ancestors were part of a huge war against the Metal Heads. My family's ancestor harnessed Dark Eco in order to win the last battles, and when they pushed the Metal Heads out into the Spiral, my ancestor still had Dark Eco in him. He married and had a few children, and over time one of his children's sons got a purplish scar, the same one he had." She pulled back her hair, wrapping a ponytail holder around it. Smiling a bit, she stretched her arms. "We have a bit of a…resistance for it. It still hurts, pretty damn bad if I say so myself, but if you have a good physical and mental health, you can harness it." Ko shrugged.

Daxter hopped up on Jak's shoulder, a confused look on his face. At that moment, Ko realized that they really didn't know anything about the Wasteland, and about how the world worked. "What's the Spiral?"

Ko leaned down, stretching her legs. She mentally began to count to twenty. "The Spiral is where anything pushed in, cannot get out," she informed them, switching to her other leg. Narrowing her eyes as she remembered the Spiral's news four years ago, she stood up, planting her hands on her hips. A large smile appeared on her lips. "Let's get going guys."

~:~

They were horrified. Their one safe haven…was overrun by the Advanced Metalheads. Ko instinctively reached for her pistol, yet found nothing, mentally cursing. Jak took a few steps back, yet found his shoulders grabbed. He turned his head, and found himself staring in the cold, heartless black eyes of one of the Metal Head's. Just as the Metal Head was about to strike him down, it was kicked away, replaced by Ko.

The two made eye contact. Ko's brown eyes declared something internally, and before Jak could do anything, he found himself being pushed towards the door towards the garage. The door slid open, and Ko gave him a nod. "Don't let this mean nothing," she told him. "Stop Mai…and Makoto."

With that, Ko kicked him into the garage just as the garage door was shut, unable to open ever again. The two sat on the ground, eyes wide and heartbeat thundering in their ears. Ko had just sacrificed herself.

"Well that was cliché," Daxter managed to say, causing Jak to look over at his friend. Daxter shrugged under Jak's unreadable stare. "It's true."

"She wants us to kill her sister?" Jak whispered, laying back down. He laid his arms over his head, sighing.

Daxter planted his hands on his hips. "Well, since Bipolar Munchkin is dead, let's not make it in vain."

Subconsciously, Jak nodded. He hadn't trusted her, yet he wouldn't make her death seem like nothing. He'd save the world…for the fourth time.

~:~

She hurt. She hurt all over. Her entire body throbbed and ached as she collapsed to her knees, blood painting the ground as if it were her portrait. No, she had not killed anyone. This was her blood.

Looking up at the nearing figure, she felt the world dimming. "The Tainted Eco is affecting you, Ko."

With that, Ko passed out, unable to register that voice.

All he did though was smile. Makoto Tonbo was alive.

* * *

**Welp...there that is! I tied together some of Ko's backstory when I wrote this a while back. She's an interesting character, that much is for sure! Thank for reading! Leave a review if you wanna! ^_^ Have a cheeserific day/week! **


	6. Chapter 6: Remembrance of Sincerity

**Hi there! So, since Christmas is Tuesday, I'm stretching my schedule to six days (I don't count the day that I post when waiting for the next update) so that I can post on Christmas day. I'll write a little Christmas special for this story (and it's just for fun, so it's not a serious chapter or anything) since I've never done anything else like that before. Sorry if this angers/annoys you. **

**I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy. They belong to their rightful and respectful owners. **

**Enjoy! ^_^**

* * *

Ko's eyes fluttered open, taking in the bright, blue sky. A dull pain ached in her head. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, placing a hand over her throbbing head. Releasing a small groan, she attempted to sit up, yet found a hand pushing her down. Her eyes widened in surprise as she fought back instinctively, yet the hand pushed her down, restraining her with what appeared to be little effort.

The sandy blonde lifted her head, and released a gasp. There sat her "dead" younger brother, Makoto. His once brown eyes were now shadowed with anger and hatred, this also belonging to his now jet black hair. The headband around the hair still remained, yet two cards were now imbedded underneath it. A small smirk adorned his tanned face, yet Ko did not return the look. "W-what?" she managed to gasp out, making herself sit up.

Makoto looked at his hair, holding a strand of the black. "What? You don't like it?" he asked, looking back at her. He frowned. "Well you've changed too."

Ko crossed her arms, casting him an annoyed glare. "Yes, I've become annoyed of you. You're trying to take over the world. What purpose do you have because of this?" she demanded.

Makoto casted her a warning look, yet she could sense the lust for power in the dark shadows. "Corruption…" he murmured, a crazed grin spreading across his features. Ko sank back in her seat. Had insanity taken its grasp on his mind? "This world is so corrupted, but if I find it, everyone and everything will become pure!"

With that, Ko realized that her brother and sister had gone insane. Tears sprang to her eyes, her lip automatically turning as she tried to compose herself. Looking away as he brother began to drive a dune buggy, she stared out at the Wasteland. They'd been so innocent, she though, crossing her arms at the memories of her brother and sister when they were young. They were so happy.

"You want to know what happened don't you?" her brother suddenly asked, causing her eyes to dart towards him. His eyes were trained on the ground in front of him, yet she could spot his pupils shooting over towards her figure every now and then.

"N-no," she whispered, intertwining her fingers as she stared down at the gloved hands. She furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't think that I could handle the truth."

Everything fell silent at her words, the thundering of the engine comforting Ko's ears. She couldn't handle the truth, she just couldn't…

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're bipolar?"

With that, Ko felt a tear drip down her face. Those were the words he would have told her long ago, back when he was still sane and happy. But here Makoto was now, insane and cold. Nothing could save Makoto and Mai now.

"You have two weeks to find the Pure Eco," her brother suddenly said, causing Ko's head to snap up. The two made eye contact, and Ko suddenly realized that they had stopped outside of Haven's walls. Her eyes widened. "Yes it still exists, but very little of it is usable."

With that, the dune buggy pulled to a stop, and Makoto shot her a look, pointing at the wall. "Mai's controlling Haven. Tell her that I said that 'The stars are burning bright'. Goodbye, sister." With that, her brother pulled out a Peacemaker, aimed it at the wall, and shot. Ko winced as the large explosion's noise filled the air, almost seeming as if it was burning all other noise away. The sandy blonde held her arms over her head, ducking down. As the noise slowly melted away, Ko opened her eyes, releasing a few coughs from the dust.

Makoto was standing, hunched over from laughing so hard. His shoulders shook vigorously, his head shaking too. "Th-that was-was amazing!" he cackled, throwing his head up. Ko spotted tears streaming down his face in glee, and frowned. Her brother released a few more chuckles before standing upright, breathing heavily. He turned towards her, took a few strides forward, and that's when she realized that she really was a munchkin. He was at least five foot five.

Giving her one last smile, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at her head. Ko's eyes widened in surprise. Her brother nodded towards the now gigantic hole in Haven's wall. "Get in there," he commanded. She shot him an incredulous look. "If you survive in there, I may just hand you the Pure Eco."

Ko glanced back into the city, spotting lights flashing beyond the dust. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned her brown eyes back towards her brother, who was gripping a small knife. Her eyes widened as she expected that he would kill her, yet he instead held out the knife, smirking. "Here's father's weapon," he told her. Ko's eyes narrowed as she took ahold of it, gripping the carved, iron hilt. "Use it wisely." The blonde then felt the cold metal of the barrel of the gun press against her temple, causing her to shoot her brother a sideways glare. He grinned insanely, nodding towards the hole. "I'll see you in Hell sister."

Ko glowered at him, slipping the knife under the pad around her shoulder. Remaining her glower, she took slow, backward steps as she neared the hole, dust sweeping up into her nose. Coughing, she raised a hand to cover her nose and mouth. "THERE SHE IS! KILL HER!"

The sandy blonde spun around, almost instantly spotting over thirty Freedom League guards. Her eyes widened as they all aimed their guns at her, taking a step backwards. She instinctively reached for her pistol, yet her hand met nothing but air. Realizing that she was doomed, Ko ducked down and sprinted towards them. Her small hand met the ground as she turned her body upwards and sideways, spinning almost like a starfish.

Her frail body met the ground a few feet away from the barricade of the guards, landing almost perfectly. Unfortunately, her wrist twisted, creating a snapping sound. Ko released a cry of pain, clutching the broken hand to her chest. She scrambled to her feet, running as fast as her tired, injured legs could carry her. Loud gunshots echoed throughout the desolate, ruined city, bouncing off of walls and reaching her ears as loud as screams.

A searing pain bit into her left leg, instantly sending her crashing to the ground as she clutched the new wound with her right hand. Her body rolled and rolled until she realized that she was nearing what she considered her own wasteland; a river. Her eyes widened in terror as she neared the edge. "No!" she gasped, yet it was too late. She found herself crashing into the cold, bitter water.

The liquid bit away at her skin, sending her nerves spiraling. Her mouth instinctively opened, releasing a scream, allowing her breath to disappear in frantic bubbles. She cracked open her eyes, spotting the surface. She clawed to the surface, gasping for air as her head broke to the surface. Almost as quickly as her oxygen met her lungs, a large wave crashed down onto her head, pushing her back underneath the water.

Ko flipped backwards continuously, lungs screaming for air. She opened her eyes under the water, the liquid stinging. Biting her lip, she kicked, reaching for the surface. Her hand wrapped around the edge of a walkway, and she pulled herself up, coughing and breathing heavily. Water soaked her clothing, adding extra, unneeded weight to her body as she sprawled over onto the ground, breathing heavily.

Her vision remained dark as she rested on the rock ground, breathing slowly returning to its normality. After what seemed like forever, she realized that it was time for her to crack open her eyes and to face the harsh world. She released a sigh, opening her pained eyes. The gray sky greeted her tired eyes, almost appearing to be mocking at times. Ko chewed her lip for a moment, calculating her plans. Haven Forest no longer existed, that much she knew, but she knew very well that the forest extended. The Metal Head would be there though, that was for certain.

The sandy blonde released a small groan, clutching her head. Her body screamed as she placed her hands on the ground, pushing herself up onto her feet. She stretched her arms and legs, rolling her head. Ko spotted her wound yet again, and narrowed her eyes. There was no way she'd be able to get to that forest so far from where she was. The guards and Metal Heads had most definitely created over thirty barricades blocking access to all important areas, except they always avoided the slums, which was just before New Haven began.

Ko narrowed her eyes as she remembered what was hidden among the slums, only opening for those whose footsteps were recognizable. A small groan sounded from her bruised, cut lips. "Well crap…"

It was time for her to rejoin the Underground.

~:~

The girl with long, braided, brown hair glanced up from the sandy ground, blue eyes wide in amazement. Her green dress had been replaced with more athletic clothing, yet the hat and bracelet remained. The tall man behind her still held the stoic expression that he was known for, yet if someone looked very carefully they could spot the tears welling up in the brown orbs.

Her father cleared his throat, getting down on his knees. The girl turned and faced him, the brown orbs still wide in astonishment. "Father…what is this place?" she murmured, voice innocent.

The tall man looked down at the ground before gripping her shoulders. "Yoko…listen to me very carefully," he whispered, voice sounding extremely restrained. Said girl tilted her head at the sound of the serious tone. "You must go in that city and find any place that is willing to take you in. Do not let any men in blue suits or a girl with long black hair get you. Do you understand me?" he told her, voice breaking at the end.

Yoko nodded, eyes puzzled and scared. "Daddy, what's happening?" she asked, voice fearful. Her father gulped. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Her father pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her small frame for that last time. "I can't, honey. I'll see you again soon…okay?" he breathed. He closed his eyes, snapping them open almost immediately when he heard the dreaded sound of armor. The man shot to his feet, automatically grabbing his rifle out of his backpack. His eyes narrowed when he spotted the feared blue armor. "Yoko…you need to run."

His daughter looked up at him with terrified eyes. He met the brown eyes. "Now."

Yoko's wide eyes scanned over the men, instinctively taking a step back. "Daddy…"

"NOW!"

The brown haired girl sprinted towards where a large hole was, coughing from a large cloud of dust. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, arms swinging back and forth while her legs hit the ground. The sound of gunshots rang throughout the metal area, bouncing off of the walls. Yoko's arms and legs began to ache, but the sound of frantic gun shots kept her body moving as she bolted ignorantly.

A large force collided with her right foot, automatically dragging her down to the ground painfully. Her head cracked on the ground, sending black spots spiraling across her vision. The footsteps grew nearer as she attempted to regain composure, yet the barrel of what she imagined was a gun scrapped against her forehead. A whimper escaped her as she met the black visor of one of the army men. "We got her!" he yelled.

"You sick idiots!" an angered voice shouted out, immediately followed by a boot connecting with the head. A short woman with sandy blonde hair was suddenly standing in the place of the army man, water dripping from her hair and clothing. Their brown eyes met, and Yoko suddenly found her right wrist shake. She looked down at her bracelet, perplexed. "Stay there," the woman whispered, voice concerned. With that, she swung expertly at an upcoming guard, knocking him out with the force.

A yelp came from the woman as a nightstick connected with the back of her neck, knocking her to the ground. Yoko expected her to be dead, yet the woman wrapped her legs around the guard's foot and pulled him down, punching him in the temple. Her sandy blonde hair was snatched, yanking her to her feet. She elbowed the man's thigh, getting a short groan before he was pinned to the ground, a syringe in the left arm. He became motionless.

The woman scrambled to her feet, breathing heavily. The two made eye contact before she ran forward, grabbed the girl and hoisted her up onto her shoulders. Hands were wrapped around Yoko's ankles as the girl sprinted, breathing heavy and uneven. Yoko wrapped her arms around her savior's neck, closing her eyes for a moment before drawing back, feeling a warm, icky liquid covering her own neck and shirt. Her eyes widened and a scream was ripped from her sore throat as she spotted a red liquid staining the cloth. The woman skidded to a stop, accidently crashing into a random civilian. Yoko found her body flying towards the ground when a body appeared underneath her, arms wrapping around her bloody body. "Shh…" a soft voice murmured. "I need you to run, honey." Yoko released a sob. "I need you to run right now."

Yoko scrambled to her feet, scanning the area with her bloodshot eyes. A woman ran up to her, grasping her shoulders and quickly dragging her away. She spotted a piece of paper in her hand, and spotted the name, Paulia. She met the woman's eyes before turning her head back towards where she remembered the other woman crashed.

The woman was gone.

~:~

Ko dropped the ground, hands clutching her stomach. Blood leaked through her scraped fingers, dripping into her pants. She gave a low snarled, stumbling to her feet. The area around her was ruined, dead bodies lying everywhere. The smell constantly made her gag, swatting multiple flies away almost every second.

As she neared the door that held the familiar green skull unwanted memories rose. A small groan sounded from her throat. The door slid open at the sound of her footsteps, revealing the nostalgic staircase that haunted her dreams. She took a few steps down, hand against the wall before she instantly grew concerned.

Torn had told her years ago that if there was ever a catastrophe to occur, he'd be camping out here. Yet, the grumpy old man was nowhere to be seen, leaving a worried feeling biting at Ko's heart. She strolled down the last steps of the stairs, being greeted by an empty hideout. The bed bunks remained, along with everything else that she remembered. She checked the closet for the weapons and spare clothing and armor. The wounded woman pulled medical supplies out from the cabinet and wrapped bandages around her wound wile healing her wrist with some Green Eco.

A loud beeping echoed throughout the room, causing Ko's brown eyes to dart towards the table Torn had always been hunched over. She limped over, and found a large screen with an exclamation point blinking. Confused, she clicked on it to find scrambles of letters. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Ko," a familiar, scratchy voice said, causing her to release a huff of air. It was Torn, and his voice surprisingly sounded pained and tortured. Her eyes instantly held worry despite her dislike towards him. "I knew that you'd arrive here at some time. Listen closely, I'm being held hostage by Mai at HQ-" Ko's eyes widened, "and I don't think I'll be alive for long. She's planning something, I don't know. But she's torturing me with Dark Eco…she's taking over Haven. She brainwashed everyone, even Ashelin. You're going to have to kill someone, Ko. One day…someone has to die from you. Good luck, munckin."

With that, Ko dropped to her knees, gripping the table as tears streamed down her face. She pressed her head against the wood, and released a sob. Even if she hated Torn, she could help but feel absolute guilt and sorrow. It was true that her siblings were alive and were now insane, and that Torn was going to die. Even though he'd seen her as an annoying munchkin, she saw him as his 2nd closest friend, Ashelin being the first.

Taking in a deep breath, Ko got to her feet, fingering her dagger. She narrowed her eyes as she heard another beeping, surprised to spot a distress signal going off near the Naughty Ottsel. Her eyes widened and she found herself sprinting for the door, ignoring the protesting in her leg.

She had to get there.

She couldn't let anyone else die.

* * *

**Welp, there's the newest chapter! ^_^ This one was a lot longer than the last chapter, and I'm sorry for that. I have writer's block, so some upcoming chapters will be a bit short but I'm working on making them longer. Thanks for reading, and have a great day/week! **


	7. Christmas Special!

**Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your day is wonderful and full of amazing presents and food! I love food. :3**

**Enjoy this special! Sorry that it's short. I've been extremely busy lately. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy. They belong to their rightful and respectful owners.**

* * *

It was a rather festive time of the year. The Metalheads had retreated, Mai and Makoto had agreed to allow peace for two weeks and all captives/hostages were released. A bundled-up Ko, covered in bandages and new scars, was currently strolling down the peaceful street in the Port, drinking down some liquor she'd bought at a nearby store. Her brown eyes were still skeptical, darting around at every scream or yell. Her body was stiff and tense, and this was why she was resorting to alcohol; she was too stressed and tense.

And she just loved alcohol altogether.

Everyone around her kept reminding her that Christmas was nearing, and she knew this very well, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. She hated Christmas, that much was for sure, and she was not looking forward to this upcoming Christmas. A sigh escaped the eighteen year old, followed by her looking around.

Many children were chasing each other in the streets, laughing and giggling. They all wore fluffy coats and gloves, but no boots due to the lack of snow. As Ko neared them, they all halted and stared at her with wide, innocent eyes. She ignored their looks, taking another swig of her drink. "Hey missy," a small voice called, trailed by tugging on her green jacket. Ko looked down, and met the wide, green eyes of a boy with light brown hair. "Is it true that you killed an entire district?" he asked.

Ko's eyes widened, followed by her eyebrows knitting together. "No…where did you hear that?" she murmured, voice emitting a cloud in front of her appalled face.

The boy pointed towards a small apartment building. "Ma and Da were talking about it earlier," he told her. "They said that you're a bad person and should be put in jail."

Ko swallowed roughly, turning away from the boy. She strolled away, head hanging and mind calculating at a fast speed. The eighteen year old released a sigh, and took a large swig of the liquor, declaring that she would not be celebrating this cursed Christmas.

:3 :3 :3

Ko was frustrated, not that she wasn't like this all the time, but today…her frustration was above all of her limits. She had woken up to finding that she'd forgotten to take out one of her earrings, resulting in her having to pull it out of the skin behind her ear. Next, the shower water was cold, and she had to sprint down the Freedom HQ hallway with only a towel covering her in order to get some clothing since someone thought it'd be funny to snatch her pajamas. To make matters even worse, the café she always stopped at had a malfunction with the coffee maker, resulting in her having a coffee-less morning.

Oh, and she had a massive hangover. That was the grand winner of her frustration.

As she sat at a table in Mess Hall, she contemplated on how to get a mission from Torn today. Ashelin had ordered her to take a break for the two weeks, and look at how the first day ended up. The red head had told her that there would be consequences if Ko went to Torn for a mission, and the dark look that had appeared in Ko's friend's eyes had been enough to convince Ko to follow the order.

But she now she didn't care about the consequences. Ko wasn't planning on dealing with Daxter, or with the young girl they found on the streets named Yoko, because she knew that despite her good nature, one of them was going to end up severely injured.

The blonde groaned, resting her head on the table while wrapping her arms around her head. She knew that she should've been heading to where Torn was at the moment, but the sharp pain in her head was disagreeing with the thought. In fact, it was screaming out disagreeing comments at the moment, causing her to bite down on her lip in pain.

"I told you to not get drunk," a chastising voice sighed, followed by a weight being applied across the table. Ko looked up very slightly, meeting familiar green eyes. A small noise came from the back of Ko's throat, followed by the teenager resting her head back on her arms. "Ko-"

"Listen, Ashelin, I decided that since I honestly have nothing better to do, I might as well get drunk as heck. I mean, the whole city thinks that I destroyed a district, so there's no point in being sober, especially if I can't change their minds by doing a mission," Ko hissed, frustration flaring. She looked up and met Ashelin's unsurprised eyes.

"What about Christmas?" Ashelin asked.

Ko snorted, rolling her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, the only family that I have alive is _insane. _There's no point in Christmas!" she snarled, anger bubbling to the surface. "I'm dying thanks to the Tainted Eco, my siblings are insane, and the whole city hates me! There is no Christmas for me." The eighteen year old ended her rant, breathing heavily as she glowered at her friend.

Ashelin frowned at her, crossing her arms. "What about your friends?"

Ko cringed, looking away. A redness appeared on her tan face. "I-I hadn't thought about that…" she trailed off, sighing.

The red head rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow is Christmas, and I expect you to arrive at the Naughty Ottsel in the morning, and if you don't…" Ko made the mistake of looking up, being greeted with a dark look in Ashelin's green eyes. "There'll be severe consequences…"  
Ko nodded hastily, desperately wanting to get that dark look away from her. When Ashelin finally decided that Ko was smart enough to know that severe consequences would probably leave her out of commission for a month, she smirked and strolled away.

Ko groaned, slamming her forehead on the table. "_Crap._"

:3 :3 :3

When she woke up the next day, on Christmas day to be exact, Ko realized that she'd overslept. Her eyes had opened, being greeted by the dull gray ceiling, and realization crashed down on her. A few curses had escaped her as she flung herself out of bed, automatically grabbing clothing from her drawers. The eighteen year old sprinted down the hallway into the showers, taking a cold, fast shower that only lasted for three minutes.

She struggled into her clothing, somehow managing to get into some skinny jeans. She realized that she'd accidently stolen them from her roommate, but immediately declared that she did not give a single, flying crap. Ko fought into a red t-shirt with some cartoony reindeer that had a red nose on it as she brushed her teeth, searching for some socks. Once she had the necessary clothing on, she sprinted back into her room, pulling on a grey coat and a brown scarf. She pulled on some sneakers, and sprinted outside.

As the eighteen year old ran through HQ, she gathered strange looks. At one point, one male officer yelled out a degrading comment to her, earning a nice middle finger to the face from the stressed and panicking teenager. Of course, when she reached the outdoors, she realized how far she had to go. A groan escaped her, and she realized that she just didn't give a crap. There was no way that she was going to suffer severe consequences today.

So, she stole a zoomer.

And broke the speed limit.

This was followed by her bailing from the vehicle when she neared the Naughty Ottsel, resulting into the zoomer being shrapnel and for her to land in the cold lake.

A few profanities and coughs escaped her when she pulled herself onto the metal walkway. She shook her head, ignoring the many strange and undignified looks she received from many passing citizens. The teenager sprinted into the bar, eyes wide and breathing uneven, expecting to be greeted by many laughing and familiar faces, but only to be greeted with an abandoned, quiet bar.

As it turned out, a note on the bar table told her that they all got extremely drunk the night before and had massive hangovers.

…Ko made sure that she would intensify those hangovers when she found them.

And possibly make them in head concussions.

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed it! **

**Now, unfortunately, I have some bad news. This story may go on hiatus due to the fact that I had the storyline for this story on a USB that I lost in a locker room at school. I'm extremely sorry, and I feel terrible, but I'm trying my best to write the chapters, but school is becoming extremely stressful and this week has been busy. But don't worry, I'll try as hard as possible to get chapters written and updated.**

**But, I deeply apologize if this story goes on hiatus. I'll put up a notice if it does. Once again, I apologize if this does occur. **

**Merry Christmas! ^_^ **


	8. Chapter 7: The Weight of Water

**Here's the newest chapter! ^_^ I know that it's short, but I've been working on a new story (I'm not yet sure if it's gonna be a one-shot or a story yet). I haven't forgotten about this story however! Enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy. They belong to their rightful and respectful owners. **

* * *

Torn didn't know how he had reached the button and recorded his voice for Ko, it'd been pure luck. His words mentally slurred together as he had bit them out, on the brink of passing out or vomiting. The world constantly blurred and smashed together, a ringing noise screaming in his ears. Forms stretched together multiple times, constantly making his head pound.

He hated Mai, he really did. There was no other explanation for the strong, sick feeling that was burning in his chest. She'd pumped so much Dark Eco into his system he was surprised he wasn't dead. How had Jak gone through 2 years of this? The man hung his head. He was sure he wouldn't last one month being tortured, but he was sure that he was never going to reveal any information to her.

"Torn?" a familiar voice murmured, causing said man to visibly tense. His head rose a fourth of its typical height, eyes holding dark shadows underneath the dark irises. He met the green eyes that haunted his dreams nowadays, and his nonexistent eyebrows pulled together.

"Ashelin…why are you here?" he asked, voice even more hoarse than usual. His voice cracked multiple times due to the lack of water, and the tall woman noticed this. She rushed forward with a water bottle in hand, and frowned at the sight of the pillars of Dark Eco holding him hanging above the ground. She gently probed the tendrils of the Eco that were wrapped around his bloody, limp wrist, causing Torn to wince. She pulled back, frowning. "Ashelin-"

"I don't have too much time, Torn," she told him, voice somehow still strong. Said man furrowed his eyebrows at this, yet suddenly found his jaw propped open and a cool liquid sloshing down his throat. He swallowed the liquid, and found a tiny bit more energy. "She promised me one last time to see you before she makes me her puppet forever," she informed, causing the man to grimace.

"Why don't you run then?" he questioned, tone disapproving. He saw the dark look that overcame her eyes.

The woman crossed her arms. "She told me that she'd add more to your Dark Eco torture times…and that she'd improve them."

Torn grit his teeth, finding strength to struggle against the tendrils as he tried to get his point across. "I don't care about my own life Ashelin!" he yelled, causing her to recoil. "Just run! I don't matter, I'm a Commander that could easily be replaced!"

A sharp stinging suddenly was strongly blaring on his left cheek as his head was suddenly facing the left, causing him to blink in confusion. He turned his head and met the cold stare of Ashelin. "Don't you ever say that again," she hissed. "You mean something to me, to Jak, to even Ko for Mar's sake, and that's saying something considering all the times you called her a worthless piece of crap," she bit out, causing him to frown. She shook her head. "This is the last time I will ever see you Torn," she murmured. Said man looked up, meeting her emotionless gaze. "Don't…forget please."

A hand suddenly wrapped around her shoulder, causing her head to lower. Black hair appeared, and Torn instantly felt hatred bubble in his chest. The haunting brown eyes appeared, full of excitement. "Let's go Ashelin," she happily exclaimed. "I'll take care of Mr. Commander, don't you worry!" Torn made eye contact with her, causing her to smirk. She grinned, and led Ashelin out of the room.

As the elevator descended, Torn moved his gaze to the tendrils that were wrapped around his hands and pulled.

He was going to get out. He was going to save Ashelin

And he was going to continue calling Ko a worthless piece of crap.

Ashelin was terrified as she found herself observing New Haven, eyes widening and stomach lurching as she took in the bloody sight. Blood stained the metal ground, occupied with rotting corpses. She placed a hand over her mouth, instinctively gagging. From the corner of her eye, she spotted Mai grin ecstatically and clap her hands. "Yes!" she cheered. "It's all going according to plan!"

The red haired woman furrowed her eyebrows yet did not take off her hand. "What kind of last sight is this?" she hissed, causing Mai to pout.

Mai crossed her arms, angrily stomping. Ashelin barely managed to refrain from laughing at the teen's childish manner, yet stopped herself just a millisecond before she released the laugh. "This is a BEAUTIFUL sight!" she exclaimed, gesturing towards the dead bodies. Ashelin ceased from scanning the area yet again. "How could you not see such a magnificent thing?"

Ashelin's face twisted in disgust. If she was going to die, she wasn't going spend her last moments agreeing with an insane serial killer. "I'm not insane, that's how!" she snarled, causing Mai's eyes to darken. The short girl faced her, hands clenched and Dark Eco shooting from them. Ashelin tilted her head defiantly.

"How dare you say such a thing," Mai whispered, voice dangerous yet restrained. She glowered at the red haired woman. A maniacal grin twisted her features. "You know…" Ashelin felt an excruciating pain suddenly bite throughout her entire system, ripping a scream from her throat. She dropped to her knees, clutching her chest. The woman bit down on her lip, attempting to refrain from showing her pain. She would never allow pleasure for this physco.

Mai was suddenly in front of her, a sad face on her pale face. She shook her head, placing a hand on Ashelin's cheek. A clicking came from her mouth. "You just don't understand do you?" she murmured, voice full of sorrow. Ashelin managed to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "We just see things differently after we died," she whispered. The red haired woman's eyes widened. An innocent grin appeared on Mai's face, followed by a giggle. "We were once so happy…so innocent…" A dark look appeared as the grin disappeared. Hands were suddenly wrapped around Ashelin's throat, nails digging into the flesh. "But then corruption arrived and corrupted everyone," she growled. "EVERYONE DIED. EVERYONE BURNED BECAUSE OF THEIR ACTS. THEY LEFT US BEHIND. WE WERE INNOCENT…WE ARE INNOCENT. WE ARE PURE!"

Ashelin clawed at Mai, yet the dimming in her vision continued growing. She gasped for air, yet found none available. A sudden peace appeared in her mind, and she found the world darkening.

"Just remember, Ashelin…We are pure. You are corrupted. I am pure…."

Ashelin found herself sinking.

The entire house was crumbling, that much Yoko could tell. Everything else was a mystery though, confusing her as she observed the area with wide, terrified eyes. Her entire body was trembling and blood stained as Paulia went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for her. She knew that it was long past dinner time, the outdoors slowly dimming.

The brown haired girl hesitantly took a seat on one of the old, wooden chairs, scanning the room. Black paint was peeling off of the wall, revealing dark wood. The floor was littered with trash and dirt. Her eyes twisted upwards and a small whimper escaped her. She huddled up into a ball, digging her head into her knees.

"Yoko, what's wrong?" a sweet, caring voice asked, followed by said child looking up at Paulia, who had her long, black hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was holding a plate with a sandwich and a red plastic cup, a worried expression covering her pale face. She placed the plate on the table and faced the child. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"I want to go home," she whispered, voice wavering as her throat suddenly had the hated sensation that many people got when they were on the verge of breaking down. Her lip trembled. "I want to see mommy and daddy."

Paulia laid a hand on her shoulder, a sympathetic expression covering her face. "Yoko, I'll take good care of you," she replied, voice honest. "It may not seem like much, but here…" She hand the girl a charm. Yoko held it up, observing the charm hanging off of the chain. It was a rabbit. "I'll always be here for you. I was good friends with your dad, and I'd never let anything happen to his only child."

Yoko gave a small nod, and wrapped the chain around left wrist. She reached for her sandwich and took a small bite, yet was instantaneously greeted with a wretched taste. She bit back from spitting it out, and mocked a swallowing motion. Paulia smiled and walked away. Yoko immediately spit it out, spotting a green liquid covering the peanut butter between the bread. Her eyes widened. _Poison…_

She jumped to her feet, bolting for the door. She stumbled over books in her panic, yet threw open the door. The brown haired girl collided with a solid force however, sending her spiraling back. She rubbed her head and squinted upwards, eyes large when she spotted the men in the blue suits. They all looked down at her. "THERE SHE IS!" one yelled.

Yoko scrambled to her feet, sprinting up the old stairs. A stair gave out under her feet, yet she recovered, reaching the 2nd floor. She frantically burst into the first room that she spotted, her shoulder throbbing from the impact. As she breathed heavily, she spotted a window, and ran over, pounding her fists onto it. The glass did not give out however. She felt her stomach drop, yet she observed the area, spotting a frying pan. Terrified, she snatched it and swung at the window, instantly greeted with the sound of shattering and glass biting into her skin.

Yoko released a yelp, yet opened her eyes. The sight of the gray world met her wide eyes. She looked behind her and spotted the men in the blue suits pointing at her. Before they could do anything, however, she was sliding down the rough roof of the crumbling house. The sharpness cut open her legs with small cuts, yet she did not mind. The brown haired girl turned around and held up the frying pan, blocking any and all bullets racing at her. Her father teaching her how elements worked had proved useful apparently.

The young girl suddenly found herself flying, gaining a terrified scream from her. Her braided hair flew around her as she neared the ground, yet a hand suddenly appeared. She found herself grasping a gloved hand as they flew through the air, the roaring of an engine rumbling in her ears. Shocked, Yoko looked up with wide eyes and spotted the woman from before, a tired expression covering her face. The two made eye contact, and the woman gave a large, warm smile. "I'm going to drop you off at an camp, okay?" she told Yoko, voice reassuring. "When you get there, tell them that the Underground is looking after you. I'll come back one of these days, I promise." With that, Yoko was pulled up by the woman and set behind her. Slightly puzzled by all the sudden events, Yoko blinked rapidly yet did not shed any tears. The seven year old decided to put her arms around the woman's waist and close her eyes.

It was her only outlet from the harsh world that she was a part of.

* * *

**I hope that you enjoyed it. I'm beginning to struggle with writing the series' original characters (like Jak, Ashelin, Torn, etc...) point of views, for lack of better words, since I may spoil something in the plot. Along with the plot, I found my USB that has the plot on it in one of my fifteen thousand gym bags, but when I put it in my laptop the entire thing was corrupted and all the files were lost. I'm really sorry, but the good thing is that I remember most of the upcoming plot, so I'll try my best to get the rest of the plot down. This story's gonna be extremely long though, so there may be a few breaks so I can get a few chapters written down. **

**Sorry for my rambling. I just needed to let any loyal readers know this. Thanks for reading, and have a good day/week! ^_^**


	9. Chapter 8: Peace's Descent

**So I decided to upload after four days (finally) since this chapter turned out to be so...well, I can't think of any words to describe this chapter. It was really fun to write, that much I can say. I wrote it on New Years Eve, and finished it around ten minutes before 2013 took 2012's place. Also, I'd really like to thank those who have reviewed this story. Thanks a lot! ^_^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Jak and Daxter trilogy. They belong to their rightful and respectful owners. **

* * *

Ko was terrified, that she knew for sure. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest as she zoomed through the city at an extremely fast speed, her hair whipping behind her. She bit her lip to restrain herself from screaming in absolute terror as she spotted burnt corpses laying in New Haven. Fire still burned strongly in certain areas, and Ko realized that the city was being torn bit by bit slowly, almost as if the attacker wanted the others to yell out for help. The sandy blonde wanted help too, yet she knew that she would receive absolutely none. She would have to help herself.

Shaking her head, she stepped on the gas pedal, applying more pressure. The speed greatly increased, and she felt the girl stir. Ko glanced behind her, spotting the girl blink sleepily. The girl yawned, and returned to her slumber. At that moment, Ko realized how tired she was, drawing a yawn from her. The last time she'd slept was when she'd been knocked out, and that was around fourteen hours ago. The swimming had added to her exhaustion, yet she bit back the negative effects. She had to get this girl to safety.

"Sister!" an innocent voice yelled out, immediately catching Ko's attention. Ko scanned the area and spotted a small girl with burnt clothes clawing at debris, panicking. Biting her lip, she switched hover zones and parked. The woman looked back at the girl, and saw her awaken. She held up her hand and saw the girl understand. The girl nodded. "Sister!"

Ko ran over to the other girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. A sharp pain gnawed away at her hand instantaneously, drawing a gasp. She pulled back, yet found that her hand was limp. Her eyes widened as the girl stood, giggling. "Sister…" Ko took a few steps back, reaching for the dagger yet found a pale hand on her only cooperative hand. A sharp pain shot through her system, gaining a yelp. Ko looked at the girl with wide eyes, tears welling within them. "Sister, I finally found you," a sweet voice happily murmured.

"M-Mai?" she choked out, voice cracking. The girl standing before her couldn't be her sister, it just couldn't be. The once blonde hair was now black, along with shadowed brown eyes. A maniacal grin had replaced the once sweet, happy one. "No," she gasped. "No, no…no!" she screamed. If she could've, Ko would have pushed her away and run back to the girl, yet she couldn't. Mai's hand was tightly grasping her shoulder, sending shockwaves of pain through her body. She bit down on her lip as she fought back the urge to cry out. A metallic taste entered her mouth, and the teenager realized she'd bitten too hard on her lip. "Let go of me," she whispered, voice shaking from the pain coursing throughout her body. "Let go."

Mai smiled, the action screaming out that she was a sadist. She took a step towards Ko, and was so close that Ko could make out sparks dancing in her eyes. "I finally have you," Mai murmured. "I can finally take control of the world." The smile turned into another grin.

"No!" a young, innocent voice cried out, followed by Mai being shoved the ground. The young child was suddenly standing in place of Mai, breathing heavily. She turned around, facing Ko with wide, tearful eyes. Ko was frozen, the pain still radiating within her until she heard groaning and angry muttering. The child, touched Ko's right hand, immediately sending a warm feeling up her arm. Ko's eyes widened, but without any hesitation she grabbed the child's wrist and sprinted back towards the zoomer, breathing raspy and frantic. She placed the child on the passenger part of the zoomer, and flung herself on the driver's seat. Ko started the zoomer, switching hover zones almost immediately. The tail of the zoomer crashed into the ceiling an apartment building, sending the vehicle spiraling for a moment.

The young child cried out, burying her head into the crook of Ko's neck. Ko felt a liquid sliding down her neck, and narrowed her eyes, regaining control of the zoomer. "No!" a shrill voice screamed. "No!" Ko instantaneously turned the throttle, sending the zoomer forward around ten feet. As Ko managed to escape her deranged sister, she felt anything but happiness and relief. She felt a weight pulling down her heart as she drove towards a refugee camp. The only thing that reassured her was the young child clutching to her, but even that added pressure.

She gave a small, unhappy snort when realization sunk in. The world was screwed.

When Ko arrived at the refugee camp, she was surprised to see so few people there. She pulled to a stop, observing the area with curious eyes. A medical area was set up, and that's where many people lay. She spotted a woman sobbing on top of a man's unmoving body, and she looked away, a nauseous feeling rising in her throat. Other tents were set up in various locations, yet she could immediately see that more tents were unoccupied than occupied. The nauseous feeling rose even more when realization set in, but she forced it back, unhooking the young child's arms.

Ko faced the young child, expecting to see haunted, terrified eyes yet was only met with closed eyes. A small smile appeared on her features. The eighteen year old carefully picked Yoko up, carrying her bridal style over into the camp. All inhabitants stared at her as she walked towards the center, seeming surprised to see such a small child. An old woman spotted her and rushed over, a look of amazement on her face. "A child?" she gasped, eyes wide. "Is she yours?" She looked up from the child, eyes shocked.

Ko shook her head. "No, I found her on the streets. I suspect that the Freedom League is trying to take her in as a hostage, and this is the only safe place for her," she informed the woman, voice steady and surprisingly calm. The woman furrowed her eyebrows as she looked over the child, eyes trying to see any wounds. "She's fine besides some scrapes."

The woman smiled happily, holding out her arms. Ko swallowed roughly, looking down at the child's peaceful face once more. She sighed, and handed her over to the woman. "Tell her that I'll come back for her one of these days," she murmured. The woman nodded, and Ko turned, strolling away.

She couldn't help but feel like she made a terrible mistake.

The blonde, tan teenager sped through the Port, eyes scanning the area. Her eyes allowed everything to sink in extremely quickly, and that's what allowed her to immediately sense something was wrong when there were road blocks. There also appeared to be many, many Freedom League guards starting from where she entered down until where the shooting range was. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she turned the throttle even more. It wasn't until she looked at a small monitor did she realize that the distress signal was radiating from the Naughty Ottsel. Her eyes widened, her breath shortened and she felt her body begin to pump with adrenaline. "Jak…Daxter…"

She furrowed her eyebrows, her face contorting into one of fury and distress. A cry escaped her as she switched hover zones, turning her zoomer at a 90 degree angle. She allowed the zoomer to crash into multiple guards, gathering frantic shouts. Ko ignored the noises around her, sprinting into the Naughty Ottsel.

When she spotted the newly developed Metal Heads dragging an unconscious Jak towards the door, everyone froze. Ko was the first to react, screaming out as she shoved her elbow into one of the Metalhead's head. The other Metalhead created a series of strange sounding clicks and growls, and when Ko turned around she realized why. The Metalhead was speaking into a communicator, causing Ko to growl.

The eighteen year old lunged at the enemy, knocking it to the ground. She heard Jak's body hit the ground, wincing from the painful sound, as she threw multiple punches at it. It wasn't until she heard felt a familiar pain reappear in her shoulder did she realize the abnormality of these Metalheads.

Frowning, Ko sat up from her hunched position, breathing heavily. She got to her feet, observing the Metalheads. When she heard yelling from outdoors, she cursed and grabbed Jak's body, throwing it over her shoulder. A large exhale of breath escaped her from the weight, but forced herself to be oblivious. She ran out of the door, as fast as possible, her shoulder crying out. The blonde ignored it, controlling her breathing until she spotted dozens of Freedom League guards and Metalheads pointing weapons at her.

Ko looked around, desperately searching for the relief of an escape, yet found nothing. She set her position into a defiant one, holding her head up high as she glowered at all of the figures. They returned the look.

"Whooaa!" a familiar voice shouted, causing everyone to face the origin of the voice. Ko's eyes widened and a grin spread across her weary, injured face, brightening the tan skin. The sight of Daxter soaring at the cluster of enemies with a zoomer sent relief and hope throughout her body, and a small chuckle escaped her. The zoomer crashed into a large group of enemies, sending them flying. The zoomer halted in front of her, unharmed, with a cackling Daxter, who was bragging about his 'amazing' abilities.

Ko threw Jak onto the driver's seat, mounting a few inches behind where his body laid. She immediately spiraled forward, switching hover zones at the last second. The eighteen year old spun the zoomer around, soaring towards where the hide out was. The sounds of gunshots and yelling greeted her ears, yet she ignored it all, only focusing on the throbbing in her shoulder. "Thanks, Daxter," she thanked, looking over at the orange Ottsel. He was perched on Jak's back, poking his neck.

Daxter looked up at the sound of his name, and grinned widely, busting an arrogant pose. A smile replaced Ko's tight, straight lips. "That was nothin'!" he exclaimed. "You should've seen me in the Class Two race! So there I was…spiraling down the race track with a sputtering zoomer. That nasty Errol had messed with my zoomer, immediately causing one of the main parts of the zoomer to burst into flames…"

Ko tuned him out, focusing on the metal road ahead of her. Her knuckles tightened around the throttle, aching and begging for her to slacken her grip, but Ko ignored them, narrowing her eyes. _I wish I could sleep…_

_ Sleep's real nice. _

_ I love sleep. _

_ I love you, sleep. _

Ko was hallucinating. She realized this after she dropped Jak on one of the old bunk beds, turning around to be met with the haunting face of a Krimzon Guard. The following action was a punch thrown to the helmet of the guard, only to be met with the wood of another bunk bed. Curses were strewn out of Ko's mouth as she danced around the room, clutching her hand. Daxter just watched her, seeming confused.

"Umm…you okay there, Bipolar Munchkin?" he asked. Ko looked over at him, a pained look shimmering in her eyes. She stared at him for a moment before shaking her head, releasing a weary string of laughter.

"Hehehehe…it's okay, Ko. You're not going insane…there's no rabbit speaking to you…there's no rabbit talking to you…" she whispered, voice unsteady and weary. She continued shaking her head, muttering to herself as she paced back and forth in the room. Daxter merely watched her with curious eyes, before eventually deciding that Ko's abnormal behavior was not his problem and heading to sleep next to Jak.

After five minutes of silence, Ko looked up from a large map and smirked. She rushed over to a hidden closet, yanking it open with maniacal grin and a thumping heart. When her eyes met a large cardboard box with a white paper that had big, red letters, she chuckled darkly, yanking it open. She was met with many metal boxes, and she gently pulled five of the ten out. The eighteen year old propped them open, meeting the sight of a dozen bombs. "Ohohohohooo…we have got ourselves a party today!" she chuckled.

Without any hesitation, Ko grabbed an old, torn backpack and stuck the five metal boxes inside. She zipped it up, slung it over onto her back and sprinted outside, eyes wide with excitement and lips turned upwards in an insane grin. The bunny on her shoulder had a grin too, she noted.

A loud groan echoed throughout the old Underground hideout, causing a certain sandy blonde to look up from a series a maps. Another blonde sat up, rubbing at their head whilst cracking their neck. A certain orange Ottsel yawned, stretching before jumping off of the bed.

When bright blue eyes spotted Ko, they instantly became wide and a jaw dropped in shock. "K-Ko?" Jak gasped. Said girl smirked, lifting a mug of what he suspected was coffee. He watched her take a sip before returning to surveying the maps, and the dryness in his mouth suddenly was noticed. A frown appeared, and he looked around the room.

"Thirsty?" Ko asked, causing Jak to return his eyes to her. He saw her hold up a water bottle, and before she could even count to two he was over there, gulping down the water. When he set the water bottle down, his thirst quenched, he met Ko's amused eyes. "I'll take that as a yes…"

Jak furrowed his eyebrows, remembering what happened a day or two ago. He crossed his arms, giving Ko a look that she returned. "How are you alive? Last time Dax and I saw you, you sacrificed yourself. You should be dead," he told her, voice rather calm.

Ko held his gaze calmly, face emotionless and eyes revealing nothing for once. After a moment of silence, her lips twitched and a chuckle escaped her as she rocked back on her ankles. "Ahaha…thought I'd go that easily, eh?" she asked, voice amused. Jak frowned. "Well, the events that occurred decided that going to the back of my head was the most appealing thing to do, so I don't remember. All that I do remember is regretting saving your sorry butts!" Ko flashed a joking, gleeful grin.

Daxter hopped up onto the table, putting his paws on his hips. He gave her a look that caused her to raise her eyebrows. "Why were you looking at our butts?" he asked, causing Ko to reel back, mouth wide open and stammers escaping her. Jak slapped him upside the head, a disapproving look on his face. "Hey, hey, hey! I was making a valid point!"  
"Yeah, your only one," Jak replied, causing Ko's stammers to turn into laughter as she leaned against a nearby wall. Daxter glared at Jak, and said man returned the look calmly.

"You two are my cheap entertainment," Ko chuckled, standing up straight. A large grin was implanted on her face. She placed her hands on her hips. "As much as I hate to say this, however, we need to get to work. I know, I know. Both of you are mentally groaning and saying, _I'd rather deal with a drunken, angry Torn than work, _but guess what?" She leaned in, a serious look on her face. "I've dealt with it once or twice, and work is _much _more appealing than dealing with that again." Ko grinned cheekily, pulling back.

Daxter pattered forward, observing the maps while Ko babbled on about how amazing her newfound plan was and that it would be a success without a doubt. He spotted various red circles in certain areas of Haven City, and grew deeply confused. "Hey Bipolar Munchkin!" Ko glowered at him, both because of her nickname and because he interrupted her. "What's with all these circles? Torn would get piiiisssssed off at you if he saw you decided that his maps were a coloring book," Daxter said.

Ko's annoyed expression turned into one of pride as she clutched the maps to her chest, dancing around the room before stopping. She pointed a finger at them both, a mischievous look on her face. "This beautiful piece of art is the majestic work from this gorgeous brain!" she exclaimed, voice excited. Jak and Daxter shared a look, both declaring that she was insane. "It's my plan!"

"And let's hear how craptastic it's gonna turn out to be," Daxter muttered, rolling his eyes. Ko immediately flipped him off, placing the maps back on the table.

"So, I'll get on a zoomer and zoom on in to the Freedom League HQ, give 'em a little surprise and book it! Then, you two will sneak into the HQ, rescue Torn, and possibly Ashelin if she's not trying to kill me at that point, and then book it back to this awesome place! There's some medical supplies in that closet over there," the eighteen year old gestured towards a closet near the back of the room, "because I have the feeling that he'll definitely be needing it. Oh, and if you do get Ashelin, knock her out and sedate her when she wakes up."

"What happens to you?" Jak asked, getting a look in the eye from Ko. He immediately spotted a distressed look in her eyes, but it disappeared in a heartbeat. She grinned, and Jak mentally facepalmed.

"Don't worry about good ol' me!" she happily cheered. "I got my crazy ninja moves if shiz hits the fan! No one can compete with that!" She performed a kick in the air, and punched the air at the same time, but a painful sounding crack came from her leg almost immediately. Ko's face immediately scrunched up, and she was suddenly on the ground, clutching her leg to her chest while rolling around.

Jak and Daxter shared another look, sighing simultaneously. Ko's head eventually popped up over the table, a normal expression replacing the earlier pained one. "There's some breakfast bars over in that cabinet. I suggest that you eat one since we're heading out in a minute."

Both of them shot her an incredulous look, in which she responded with a sheepish grin. The two of them quickly rushed over to the cabinet, grabbing a breakfast bar or two, and gulped it down in record speed. Meanwhile, Ko was staring down at the maps, sipping some coffee as she put her mind to work. _If I do this…there's a chance of…nah, that's not possible. But…what if the Eco acts up? I can't allow that to happen. I suppose that if the Tainted Eco does act up, I'll have to remind myself that I'm just hallucinating and that it's not happening. Then again…what about Mai? _

Ko sighed, stretching. "Actually putting whatever you have inside your head to work?" Daxter asked, hopping back up on the table. Ko shot him a glare, before releasing loud, long yawn. She took another sip of coffee before shaking her head, straightening.

"Alright, you guys ready?" she asked. The other two nodded, but before they could make it to the stairs, Ko was calling out, "I think that if you like living, you should take and use this." Jak turned around just in time to catch a Morph Gun, already having all four mods attached to it. He smirked deviously, gathering a few chuckles from Ko. "Good luck guys. Don't get captured or else I'll be seriously pissed."

"Wouldn't want that to happen since we'd have to deal with _you _since you'd have to come and retrieve us," Daxter replied, looking back at Ko as Jak walked up the stairs. He received the middle finger from Ko, rolling his eyes because of so.

When Jak and Daxter exited the HQ, Ko sighed, running a hand through her sandy blonde hair. She clenched her teeth. _If this all goes to plan, they'll be able to rescue Torn. A fair trade, right? _Ko thought, narrowing her eyes as she strolled up the stairs. "I just don't like the idea of dealing with Mai again…"

But the three of them knew that one of them would have to deal with Mai, possibly even Ashelin. And one person knew that they'd be dealing with at least one of the two.

Ko released another sigh, throwing her leg over the zoomer. She immediately switched hover zones, and spun around, zooming a few feet in front of her. The eighteen year old turned her head, and yelled out, "Wait till you see about an entire army zooming towards a certain somewhere okay? Then you attack!" Jak gave a quick nod, and spotted a solemn look appear on Ko's face. "Good luck! Oh, and if Mai spots you, do _not _let her touch you! Crap hits the fan ASAP!" She flashed a grin to cover up her grave look, but there was seriousness still in her eyes.

Ko turned the throttle, almost immediately entering New Haven. She spotted a few Freedom League guards and Metalheads on her way to the Freedom League HQ, causing her heart to thump in fear and excitement. Yet another sigh escaped Ko as she neared the HQ, her throat feeling unnatural and uncomfortable.

When her eyes met the skipping figure of Mai, however, a string of silent curses escaped her mouth as she pulled out a remote control. Mai stopped eventually, staring up at her with a confused yet gleeful look. Ko grinned cockily, finger nearing the button. "Happy birthday, beotch."

With that, a string of explosions veiled New Haven. Ko would've found it amazing if it wasn't for the throbbing and aching in her left shoulder. She spun around on the zoomer, turning the throttle to its max. Sirens immediately blared, and the voices of Freedom League guards and clicks from Metalheads came to Ko's ears. Of course, she realized that she didn't know where to go in order to escape them, gathering more curses. The now loud sounds of gunshots and sirens informed her that she had to get thinking. The throbbing in her left shoulder and her rapid breathing proved to make thinking difficult, and she found herself slouching over the handlebars. Her hands began to tremble, her pupils dilating and sweat pouring down her face.

Ko realized, about two hundred feet away from the Freedom League HQ now, that she was being enveloped in Tainted Eco.

Fast.

* * *

**Welp, there it is! ^_^ I hope that you enjoyed it! I finally got a nice, long chapter done! I originally planned to have this chapter super, duper short (cause I'm lazy) but then I said, "I'm not gonna screw over my readers like that!" and got to work on it. Overall, I'm happy with this chapter. Some motives and plans are finally being set, and Ko's character development is finally beginning (I think that her development is beginning...I still have to finish my storyline outline). **

**Sorry about my rambling. Go ahead and leave a review. It'd make my day! Have a great day/week! ^_^ **


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